Mommy Mystique
by Eileen
Summary: AUfirst season, but Rogue never left the Brotherhood. What happens when Mystique finds out she's pregnant? The conclusion up now. I think you'll like it.
1. You're WHAT?

Mommy Mystique

(Disclaimer: all characters belong to Marvel Comics/Kids WB.)

(A/N: this is just a bit of weirdness that crept into my mind. Set in its own universe, meaning it does not connect with my other stories the way some of mine do.Slightly AU Season 1.)

He had his head in her lap again.  
Mystique sighed, put her work aside, and shoved Toad away.  
He snuggled back up to her again.  
"Get **off** me," she growled, and pushed him away again.  
Again he came back.  
"I'm not a pillow," she said, attempting to remove him again.  
"Actually," Pietro said, "you have been taking on pillow-like proportions lately."  
Mystique glared at him. "I have not!"  
"Yeah you have. You've been eating more than Fred!"  
"I have **not**!"  
"And with swimsuit season coming up, too. Gotta cut back on those carbs." He nudged her flabby stomach.  
To his great surprise, it nudged back.  
"What the--?"

"What the...?!"

Pietro and Mystique both cried out at the same time, and then looked at each other.  
"What was **that**?" the silver-haired speedster asked.

"Beats me." said Toad.

"That's never happened before," Mystique gasped. Her mind was whirling. No, it couldn't be--could it?

Toad gave her a puzzled look. "Maybe you should go to the doctor or something?"  
"Why?" she asked. "I'm not sick."

"Not for that, man! For . . ."

None of them could even say it out loud. It was such a bizarre concept it boggled their minds.  
Mystique pushed Toad off her lap and stood up. "I'm going to bed," she said. "I'll see about making a doctor's appointment in the morning."

Toad followed her. "So who has to give up their room?" he asked.  
Mystique shook her head. "I'm not thinking that far ahead yet. Just leave me alone for now, okay?"  
Toad looked crushed. "Sheesh. I was only trying ta help."

She did concede, however, that things might be changing around here--as if they hadn't been already.

Once she was safely in her room with the door closed, she pulled up her shirt and looked at herself in the mirror.  
No, she didn't look that big yet.

"Perhaps I should contact Xavier." Mystique said to herself . . .

On the one hand, it would save her having to explain her situation. On the other . . . well, things were complicated enough already. Not to mention the fact that her son was living there . . .

Finally, she picked up the phone. Awkwardness aside, there was no one else she could trust with this thing. She'd just have to swear him to secrecy, that's all.

Xavier was surprised, to say the least, by Mystique's request. He understood the need for secrecy--after all, her personal life was her business--but felt a morbid curiosity all the same. He arranged for her to come during school hours, so there'd be less chance of the children finding out.

They met in the Institute's sickbay.

"Don't ask me how this happened," Mystique warned him. "Don't tell me I should have been more careful. And **don't** ask who the father is!"

"Easy, Mystique." Xavier said; she was clearly in an agitated emotional state. "Just tell when you first noticed you were pregnant."

"I guess that would have to be about a month ago--where are you going with that thing?"

"I want to check your temperature." Xavier said, placing the digital thermometer's tip in her ear.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone about this just yet. I'm trying to think of a way to break the news."

At that moment, she felt a slight jolt inside her stomach . . .

"Ooh."  
"Something wrong?"  
"No. He or she just moved."

"Is this the first time?"

"No. It happened last night. I wasn't expecting it this early. I think it's still early. Can you tell?"

"One moment." Xavier wheeled over a portable ultrasound scanner.

At that moment, Kurt came home sick from school . . .

"Muzzer?" he called.

She looked up at him. _Oh, no . . . _"Kurt?"

"Vhat are you doing here?"  
"I could ask you the same thing. Aren't you supposed to be in school?"  
"Zhe nurse sent me home. She said I have a temperature."

"A temperature?" This was the last thing Mystique needed.

"But I don't feel sick at all--ACHOO!"

Xavier winced--and so did Mystique. "You were saying?" she questioned Kurt.

"It's nozhing. Just a little cold. Vhy are **you** here?"  
Mystique sighed. She had been planning to tell him anyway, so she might as well get it over with. "I'm pregnant."

Kurt couldn't quite believe his ears at first. "You're VHAT?"

"Pregnant."

The word didn't sound any better the second time.

His head was spinning. Mystique with a baby? The idea boggled his mind. To say nothing of how Rogue would react....

"How . . . vhy . . . who?"

Precisely the questions she was hoping he wouldn't ask.

"I really don't want to talk about it right now, and besides, you're not really up to a long conversation. You just lie down here, and we'll talk later."

"But, Muzzer . . . ACHOO!"

She gave him her stern "I'm-the-mother" look. "You get in that bed right now. I'll come back and check on you later this afternoon--"  
"Vhere are you going?"  
"Home. I have things to do. Rooms to clean out--I wonder if I can move Toad into Rogue's old room so the baby can have his?"  
"We haven't finished your examination yet," Xavier said.

"I'll be right back." Mystique assured him.

"Don't lift anything or move anything heavy," Kurt advised her.

"Kurt...."

"I just don't vant you to hurt yourself."

"I'll be all right, really." Mystique insisted.

She drove herself home and found that Kurt wasn't the only one who'd been sent home from school that day.

NEXT: the reaction at the Brotherhood house. 


	2. 2. The Brotherhood's Reactions

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

"Ah don't feel so good." Rogue groaned, showing signs of a splitting headache.

This was not what Mystique needed to hear right now. She shook her head . . . .

Then she started feeling nauseous. She ran to the bathroom, cursing whoever had named this "morning sickness". Probably a man. No, **definitely** a man.  
"Mama? You all right?" Rogue called out.

Mystique felt her stomach jolt . . . Today seemed to be her day to tell everyone. "I have some good news," she said. "You're going to have a baby brother or sister."  
Rogue didn't take it as well as Kurt had.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't have to take that tone!" Mystique snapped. "It's not like I did it just to spite you!"

"It sure feels that way." Rogue sighed.

Rogue, as it turned out, wasn't the only one home early. Pietro had come home right behind Rogue and heard the tail end of the conversation. "What did you do to spite us?"

"I didn't do anything to spite you." Mystique insisted somewhat defensively.

"She's pregnant," Rogue told Pietro.  
"Yeah, I know," he said.  
"You **know**? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me anythin'?"  
"Maybe if you didn't hide up in the attic all the time--"  
"Maybe if ya weren't such a JERK!"  
"That's enough!" Mystique shouted at both of them.

That evening, things did not improve. Nobody was happy about the prospect of a baby in the household. 

 Toad winced at all the arguing.

"Oh, man!" Fred groaned. "Now there won't be enough food for me to eat."

Lance started packing his stuff. He knew from years of shuffling around between foster homes that a new baby in the house meant that someone would have to make room. Since he was the oldest, that someone was usually him.

"Hey, Lance, what's the rush?" asked Pietro.

"I'm not gonna wait around for someone to tell me to go."

"Nobody's going anywhere." Mystique sighed.

"Can't you do something?" Toad protested. "Go have the kid somewhere else, or something?"

"Oh, really, Toad," Mystique grumbled, "you're being melodramatic!"

"Yeah? Well, I'm not the one who went and got--you know."

Mystique gave Toad a dirty look....

"Okay, I'm gonna go find something else to do."

"I would strongly recommend it."

He slunk away.  
"Well," Mystique said to herself, "this went well."


	3. A Family Meeting

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

(A/N: me again. Just to clarify for my reviewers, this takes place in an alternate Season 1 where Rogue never left. But she and Kurt found out Mystique is their mother. I may get into that later.)

Later, Xavier came to see her.

"Everything looks fine," he said.

Mystique sighed in relief. "That's the first thing that's gone right around here in hours."

"Bit of a surprise, was it?"  
"Bit of a disaster's more like it."  
Xavier decided to broach a more sensitive topic. "Have you told the father yet?"  
Mystique stiffened and turned away. "No, I haven't, and I don't wish to discuss that now."  
"You do realize he'll have to be told at some point--"  
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Mystique shouted. "Now leave me alone, I have a lot of things to do."

A moment later, though, she composed herself . . .

She'd had mood swings before, but this--this was positively lethal. _Was I like this the first time?_ she wondered. _How did Irene ever put up with me?_

"Sorry, Professor." she said in a much calmer voice.

Why did this have to happen? Why did her life have to turn upside-down because she couldn't keep her—

Rogue interrupted her thoughts at that moment. "Ah'm goin' out."

Mystique stopped her in mid-stride. "Not so fast."

"What?" The girl stood, her arms crossed defiantly.

"What if I need you?"

"Need me?" Rogue looked at her mother as if she'd lost her mind. "For what?"

Then it started to dawn on her. She was afraid to even voice her suspicions, but maybe she was wrong.

"What's the matter, Mama?"

"We need to have a family meeting at once."

"Huh?"

"Things are changing around here, and I want everyone to know what is and isn't going to happen."

Rogue wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but nevertheless she said, "Okay."

An hour later, the Brotherhood assembled in the living room.

"Is this gonna take long?" Blob asked. "I'm hungry."

"Big surprise there," Toad said.  
The doorbell rang.  
"No," Mystique corrected him, "the big surprise just arrived."  
Kurt walked in the door.


	4. The Father (Finally) Revealed

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

"What's he doing here?" Lance demanded.

"He's a part of this too."

Pietro looked at her as if she were crazy. "He's what?"

"Oh my God," Toad exclaimed. "Is he the father?"

Mystique gave him a dirty look.

"Let me just make this clear first of all," she said. "No one is leaving. There may be a shifting of room assignments, but not for a few months yet. I'm going to be taking a leave of absence starting next month, and I probably won't return until the beginning of the next school year."

"So what's that mean for us?"

"It means we won't have any money," Lance complained.  
Mystique gave him a pointed look. "There's one solution to that problem. You can go out and get a job."  
"WHAT?" You would think she had asked him to cut off a vital part of his body, or clean his room, or something equally horrible. "Why me?"

"Because you're the most able-bodied."

"But I don't want to get a job!"

Mystique just looked at him . . .

"Okay, okay, I'll get a job!"

"This should be good." Pietro snickered to Toad.

"Don't laugh," Mystique warned him. "You're next."

"WHAT?!!"

"The free ride is over, boys. From this point on you'll have to earn your keep. We're going to need every extra penny you can bring in."

Rogue started to snicker.

"This is not a joke," Mystique admonished her. "If you want to keep food on this table, you're going to have to pitch in. I have some money saved, but it won't last forever."  
"Why don't you just ask the father for some money?" the girl suggested.

"I would if I knew who or where he was."

"Whaddya mean, you don't know?" Toad demanded. "How many guys you slept with in the past six months?"  
"I really don't think that's any of your business!"  
"Oh yeah? You yell at us for being irresponsible, and then you go and get--"  
"Leave her alone!" Kurt shouted at him.

They were ready to duke it out when Mystique stopped them.  
"Behave yourselves, all of you!"

The silence was deafening . . . broken finally by Kurt's coughing spell.

"Now see what you've done?"

"I'm all right," Kurt protested.

Mystique wasn't buying. "I never should have let you come here in your condition . . ."  
"I'm all right, Muzzer."  
"No, you're not. I think you're getting worse."

Her suspicions were confirmed when, a second later, Kurt began throwing up.

"Uh . . . should we do something?" Toad asked.

"Well, duh!" Rogue snapped.

"Move him onto the couch," Mystique ordered.

They gently picked him up . . . and he started coughing again, so hard they almost dropped him.

"This is not good."

"Tell me about it," Kurt groaned.

Rogue grabbed a blanket. "Here you go, sugar," she said. "You just make yourself comfortable till your ride gets here."

"My ride?"

"Someone's comin' for you, right?"  
"Oh. Oh, yes." He remembered now. "I told Scott to give me an hour. He should be here any time. I hope he brought a casket with him . . ."

"Don't say that." Rogue stroked her brother's indigo hair. "You're gonna be all right."

Finally,Cyclops arrived . . . and Wolverine was with him.  
While Scott took care of Kurt, Logan had a word or two with Mystique.  
"I knew it was you," he said, "that night at the bar."  
"I knew you knew," she told him, though she hadn't.  
"So what do we do," he asked, "about this?" He placed his rough hand on her midsection, and the baby jumped.  
  



	5. Toad Helps Out (Or Tries To)

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

"Ooh!"

"You okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"  
"No, it's just Junior saying hello."

"Spunky little kid, isn't he?"

"We need to talk about this," Mystique said.  
"So talk."  
"Not now! Not in front of--" She looked back at the boys, who were watching this little scene with mingled fascination and repulsion.  
"I can't believe it!" Toad exclaimed. "Boss Lady and that guy?"

"No way!"

"Is **he** moving in with us?"  
"Quiet," Mystique warned them.

"Or what?" Pietro demanded.

"Never mind or what," she snapped. "Don't you have homework or something?"  
"Yeah, but this is more fun."

She gave him a menacing glare...

"We're leaving."  
They scurried upstairs, where they wouldn't be seen but could still hear.

"Now then," Mystique said, "where were we?"

"I believe we were discussing what to do about this," he said, putting his hands on her again.

She took a deep breath . . . . 

"Don't do that again," she said.  
"But--"  
"This is not 'our' problem. This is my problem. There is no 'us'. There never was, there never will be. It's my fault I wasn't careful that night, and I'll be the one to take care of this . . ."  
"Now hold on." Logan held both her hands in his own. "This is my kid too--unless you're planning to do something drastic."  
"No!" The very suggestion was unthinkable. She'd had a fairly religious upbringing, and had been taught that to do such a thing was unforgivable. Compounding her first mistake by making another mistake was not an option.

"OK, then . . ."

"What do you want? Do you want visitation rights? Joint custody?"  
"This is better than 'Springer'," Toad said to Fred, upstairs.

Fred, of course, was oblivious to everything except his stomach. "Are they almost done? I want some pizza!"

"Shut up, Fred."

"I just want to be a part of this kid's life."  
"How?" Mystique demanded.

"I don't know." Wolverine admitted. "But still . . ."

"We'll discuss this another time," Mystique said, sending an angry glare up the stairs. The boys scattered.

"I thought you said she couldn't see us!"

"She's evil! She can see through walls!"

"You were saying?" Mystique prompted Logan.

"Let's just go over all this tomorrow. You can come by to check on Kurt."

"'Kay."

Thinking it over after they left, Mystique wasn't sure **what** she wanted. That night, they'd only had one thing on their minds, and just then that was all she had wanted. Now she didn't know. She couldn't see herself spending the rest of her life with this man; on the other hand, it **was** his baby. It wasn't as if she could--  
"Ow!" She rubbed her side, then felt around to her back. It felt like she'd been kicked both places at once. But how was that possible? "Ouch!"

"What's wrong?" Toad asked. Mystique did a double-take--she'd thought he was still upstairs.  
"Nothing," she moaned. "I'm okay."  
"You don't make noises like that when you're okay!"

"It's nothing, really..."

"Maybe you'd better rest." He helped her into a chair, despite her protests that she was fine, and brought a cushion so she could put her feet up. "How's that?"  
"Really, you don't have to--"

"Just take it easy."

"Don't you have homework or something?"  
"Nah, did it already. Do you want anything to eat?"

"No, thank you..."

"How about a drink? I can make you some iced tea--"  
"NO!"

Mystique then took a quick breath and called out, "Todd? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. Please come back."  
Toad wasn't quite sure whether or not to believe her. One minute she was all sweet and nice, the next she was Ms. Psycho. Okay, so she was always mean to him before, but at least she was **consistently** mean. This baby sure was making her do weird things.****


	6. School Assembly

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

The entire school gathered for an assembly the following morning. Rumors were already going around that Ms. Darkholme was leaving, although the reasons for doing so were so far off the mark it was laughable.

"I heard the Feds are arresting her because she works for al-Qaeda."

"No, that's not it. She's running away to marry her boyfriend in Russia . . ."  
Scott saw Rogue and went over to her. "Hey, you know what this is all about?"  
"Yeah. She's leaving, but it's nothin' like what they're saying. She's pregnant."  
"Oh, yeah, right."  
"She **is**!"

Scott almost fainted.

Ms. Darkholme took the microphone. "I've called you all here to make an important announcement. As of next month, I will be taking a year off from teaching, for personal reasons."  
"Personal reasons?" Jean whispered.  
"Betcha they fired her," Kitty whispered back.  
A teacher shushed them.  
"In the interim, Mr. Kelly will be Acting Principal. The school board will appoint an assistant principal within the next month."  
Her eyes scanned the audience of whispering students. "Let me reassure you," she continued, "that as long as I remain here, I am still in charge. I am not--" The baby kicked her, and she had to struggle to keep her expression blank. "I am not--" _Ow! Dammit, kid, take it easy!_  
This one she couldn't keep off her face, and a murmur went up in the audience.  
"Raven, are you okay?" Kelly asked her.  
"Yes, I'm fine," she said. "Take over for me while I go to the little girls' room."

"She's having a heart attack." one of the kids whispered to Toad.

"Don't be stupid! She's just . . . uh, I can't say."  
"Why not? Is it some big family secret?"  
"Yeah, kinda."

"Whoa!"

By the time Mystique came back, everyone had their own theory about what was wrong with her. Most of them were completely wrong.

"Can't we tell them what's really happening?"

"I don't think anyone would believe it."

"That's for sure."

Mystique took the microphone back and gave her big "my door is always open, I'm here for you, come and talk anytime" speech. Then she dismissed the assembly, went back to her office, put her head down on her desk, and fell asleep.

She didn't sleep long, however . . .

Her phone rang. She briefly thought about just unplugging it and throwing it across the room, but then decided it would be simpler just to hang up on whoever it was.

She tried to sleep again. . . .

"Yo, Boss Lady!"  
Mystique nearly jumped out of her chair. Her boys were in the room, but there was no sign of Rogue.  
"What do you want?" she groaned.  
"You okay? You don't look so good."

"Your point being . . . ?"

"I think you should go home," Toad said. He seemed to have appointed himself her caretaker. "You're all worn out, between work and the baby, and you need rest."  
"What I **need**," she said, her voice rising, "is you out of my office! Now!"

Toad couldn't get out of the office fast enough.

Pietro, however, couldn't resist one last smart remark. "You know," he said, "you should have thought of this before you went home with Mr. Short, Dark, and Scary--"  
She threw a potted plant at him.

"Uh, never mind."

The rest of her day went fairly well. At least until she got home . . .

There was a message on the fridge:  
  
THAT PROF DUDE CALLED HE NEEDS TO SEE YOU RIGHT AWAY. TRY TO KEEP YOUR PANTS ON THIS TIME.

"Toad, I'm going to kill you." ****


	7. A Family Moment

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

When she got to the mansion, she asked how Kurt was.  
"He's a little better today."

"Thank goodness."

"He's in his room. I can take you to see him, but I need to speak with you first."  
"Of course."

"Something odd has turned up..."

As Mystique entered Xavier's study, she saw Logan there waiting for her. There could only be one reason for him being there.  
"Is something wrong with the baby?"  
"Not wrong, exactly. It turns out there's more than one baby."

"**_What?!!!_**"

"I noticed it on your ultrasound. If you look, you can clearly see two heads." Xavier showed her, but it only looked like a fuzzy pyramid.  
"No. No, no, no, no. Not twins again. I couldn't go through all that again. It was hard enough the first time . . ." She began gasping for breath.

"Are you all right?"

"Hardly." Mystique groaned.

She felt nauseous again. Wasn't that supposed to stop at some point? But no, the fun just kept rolling on . . . and on . . .

"Better get something, Chuck, I think she's gonna blow."

"Not funny." Mystique said, trying to cover her mouth. She waited a long time, but nothing came up. She hated that most of all.

"This is driving me crazy." she muttered.

"Maybe you should sit down."

"Good idea."

She sat down and took some deep breaths. That seemed to help a bit.  
"Is this going to be a problem?" she asked.

"Too soon to tell..."

She felt like crying. One baby was hard enough to prepare for. But two!  
She glared at Logan. "This is your fault, you know," she said. "You couldn't have made a quick trip to the drugstore before we got started?"

"Hey, get a grip..."

"Don't tell **me** to get a grip! If you hadn't been so eager that night, we wouldn't be here right now!"  
Logan started to say something along the lines of "You were pretty eager yourself," but he noticed that she was crying.  
Mystique, crying? That didn't seem possible.

"You okay?" he asked finally.

"Yes," she said, once she had got hold of herself again. "Can I go see my son now?"

"Yeah, let's go."

When she got to Kurt's room . . .

Kurt sat up. "Muzzer," he said, "vhat are you doing here?"  
"I told you I'd come to see you," she replied. She knelt beside his bed and placed a hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling?"  
"Awful."

"Really?"

"You can't imagine."  
"Oh, yes, I could," she said, thinking of all the times she'd felt sick over the past few weeks.

"Well,anyway," Kurt said, "I'm in awful shape..."

"What are you doin' here?"  
Mystique whirled around to see Rogue in the doorway. "I could ask you the same question."

"Ah came to check up on Kurt."

"On your own?"

"Yeah."

"Well," Mystique said, "now that we're all together, I might as well tell you . . ."

"Tell me what?"

So she told them.  
Rogue took it about as well as she had taken the original news. "This is just **_great_**."

"I think it's nice," Kurt said.  
"Yeah, you're not the one who has to listen to two babies screamin' in the middle of the night!"

"Vat?"

"That's what it's gonna be like. Little babies either eat, poop, or cry. Ah'm not changin' any diapers, or babysitting any time you feel like goin' out. They're your kids, you deal with 'em."

"Zey're your family too, Rogue." Kurt pointed out.

"Yeah, well, Ah never asked for a family."

"We don't always ask for what we need." Mystique said.

Rogue sighed. "Yeah, maybe you're right." She turned to Kurt. "Ah'll see ya, sugar," she said. "Ah'm going baby shopping."

"Hurry back." Kurt said.

She was almost to the door when a thought occurred. "Oh. Do Ah need pink or blue?"  
"I don't know yet," Mystique admitted. "But whatever you get, get two of them."

"And zome cute little stuffed toys, too." Kurt suggested.

"For you or the babies?" Rogue teased him.

Kurt threw one of his pillows at her.

With all that was going on, Mystique had yet to hear from Magneto. But that would change very soon.  
  



	8. Confrontations and Complications

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

(A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I'm not sure if there'll be any romance later on, but there's still a lot of story to go, so don't be discouraged.)

Magneto was understandably astonished to learn about Mystique's twins. How he found out was a surprise in itself.  
He hadn't thought Pietro had his number--he must have star-69'ed him at some point. When the phone rang, he had no idea who it was.  
"Yes?"  
"How could you?"  
"Who is this?"  
"You know perfectly well who this is. I want to know what you think you're doing!"  
"Doing what?"  
"You know what I'm talking about!"  
Magneto felt as if he'd come in in the middle of the conversation. "No, I don't, actually."  
"Mystique!" the boy spat into the phone. "You went and slept with her and got her pregnant!"  
"Mystique is pregnant?"  
"How could you be so irresponsible?"

Mystique shrank back from Magneto's anger. "How . . . how did you find out?"  
"Someone was nice enough to call me and tell me." He floated across the threshold and inside the house, without being invited. "When were **you** planning on telling me?"  
"Soon." She felt tears well up in her eyes. Damn those pregnancy hormones!

Magneto sighed. "This is going to change everything."  
"I **know** that."  
"You should have been more careful."  
"I know!"

Now it was Magneto's turn to flinch.

"What are your plans?"

"I'm still working them out...."

"You won't be much use to me in your condition."

"Is that all you can think about?"

"What do you want me to say?"

Mystique rolled her eyes. "Most people would say 'Congratulations,' but then you're not most people, are you?"

Those words hurt.

"Forgive me," he said at last. "This was . . . unexpected."  
"No argument here."  
"I suppose you'll be needing extra money in the household account. How much?"  
"Oh, I've got that covered. The boys are going to get jobs."

This caught Magneto well off guard. "Jobs? Doing what?"  
"I don't know yet."  
"What does Xavier say about all this?"

"We haven't discussed it much yet."

"Odd." Magento mused. "He's always seemed very talkative..."

"I told him I didn't want to talk about it, and he respected my decision," she said.  
"What about your son? Isn't he at Xavier's Institute?"

Mystique hadn't expected that question. "Yes, he is, but what's that got to do with it?"  
"It must be hard for you, having your children living under different roofs. Wouldn't it be easier if, say, he were here?"

"You may be right . . . Or," she added, "I could move there."

"There?"

"It was just a thought."  
"I don't want to lose you," Magneto said suddenly.

Those were words she hadn't heard from him in a long time. She didn't know at first how to respond, but then she said, "My family needs me too."  
"I thought we were family."

Mystique pondered this . . . . "Right now, I don't know **what** to think."

"Nor do I."

"I suppose this is the sort of situation where we just have to take each day as it comes."  
"I suppose you're--are you all right?"  
She wasn't. She was still feeling nauseous; if anything, it was getting worse. And dizzy, too. She felt like she was about to fall over.

"Ooooooooh....my head..."

"Perhaps you should lie down . . ." She had gone so pale all of a sudden.

"You may be right." That was as far as she got before she collapsed onto the floor.

Magneto grabbed the nearest phone. There was only one place he could bring her, without risking discovery.  
"Charles?"

"Yes?"

"I have need of your facilities for a while. It's Mystique . . ."  
"What's wrong with her?"  
"I'm not sure."

Xavier didn't waste time. "I'll send a car for you right away."  
  
When Mystique opened her eyes . . .   
. . . she wasn't sure where she was.

But then she saw Cyclops.

"It's all right," he said. "You're safe."  
"Why am I here?"  
"You passed out. Looks like you picked up Kurt's bug."  
Her hands went to her midsection, feeling for signs of life. "The babies?"  
"They're fine."  
"How did I get here?"

"You want to tell her or should I?"

She saw Logan's face above her.  
"Magneto called and had Charles come get you. He was worried when you hit the floor like that."  
"Is he here?"

"He's comin'..."

"Good."   
She felt so tired and weak all of a sudden. One of the babies moved slightly . . . and she felt it all the way up her spine.

She moaned, and Logan rushed to help her. "You okay?"  
"It hurts . . . please make it stop . . ."

"PROFESSOR!" Logan shouted.

"No, no, I'm all right," she whispered. "It's gone now."  
"You're **not** all right. Something's wrong," Logan said, resting his hand on her belly. There was another movement, very small, but to Mystique it felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.  
"AAAGGGH!"

It was gone as soon as it had come, but she still felt very achy and tired. How could this have come on all of a sudden?   
"Sudden onset of symptoms is typical of this strain of flu," Xavier said.   
"Is complete and total agony also typical?" Mystique demanded. She hated being sick or in pain.

"I hope not." Wolverine commented.

"Let me take another look," Xavier said.  
Thirty minutes and a machine that resembled a giant hair dryer later, he was standing over Mystique, giving her the news.  
"It's bad," she guessed.  
"It's not that bad. But you will have to stay in bed until the symptoms clear up."  
"How long will that be?"  
"Hard to say. On average, about two weeks."  
"TWO WEEKS?" The thought of those kids running amuck all over the house for two weeks was almost enough to kill her.  
"It could be more or less. But you will need complete rest for that time."  
"No, no, no. You don't understand. I can't--" She started crying and coughing at the same time, no mean feat. She almost fell off the bed . . .

Logan caught her. "You okay?"

"Forget me, save the babies," she mumbled against his chest.   
Just then Magneto showed up. "I'll take her home now," he said.  
"No," said Logan, "I think she should stay here."  
"She'll be fine at home, in familiar surroundings."  
"But if something goes wrong, she's better off here."  
"What? What's going wrong?" she asked, but they didn't seem to hear her.  
"I think she would do better under **my** supervision."  
"She's better off--"  
"Okay, that's it!" Mystique shouted--or tried to. "I'm not some prize to be fought over!"

Xavier quickly intervened. "You can take her home," he said to Magneto, "but I want to be kept informed. It's not very likely something serious will come up, but if it does, I want her back here at once."

"Understood."


	9. This Is Not Good . . .

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

The kids were home when the two of them came in the door.

"What's up?" said Toad.

"I'm afraid Mystique's not feeling well. She'll need to get lots of rest."

"You're kidding!"

"That means you idiots will have to keep the noise DOWN," Mystique told them.  
"Hey, don't worry, I got it covered," said Toad. "Just think of me as Nurse Toad. Anything you want, I'll get you . . ."

"Toad?"

"Yeah?"   
"Why don't you start now?"

"Okay...."

A few minutes later, she was safely tucked in bed.  
Magneto tossed her a phone. "My number's on speed dial," he said. "If those pains come back, call me."  
"Are you leaving?"

"Only for the moment..."

She looked panic-stricken. "Please don't leave me . . ."

Magneto hesitated . . . "I'll be back later," he reassured her. "In the meantime, the boys will look after you . . ."  
There was a BANG! from downstairs.

"What was that?"

Toad came running into the room. "Whatever those guys tell you, I didn't do it!"  
"Do what?" Mystique asked suspiciously. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Pietro came in right behind him.  "You blew up my tea!"  
"I did not!"

"Yeah you did!!!"

Mystique threw a pillow at them. "Will you both just shut UP?"  
"But he--"  
"I don't care! I can't rest with all this racket! Whatever it is, settle it **quietly**!"

"Nice going, Speedy!" Toad snapped at Pietro.

"Oh yeah? Like it was **my** fault?"

"Yeah, it was, loser!"

**"SHUT UP!"**  
Oh, no. Screaming was NOT a good idea right now . . .

A leaden silence hung over the room.

"I'll just go make some more tea," Pietro said hastily.  
"Yeah, I'll . . . get you another pillow," Toad said. Both boys disappeared downstairs.  
Mystique collapsed back onto the bed, completely exhausted. How was she supposed to get through the next five days, let alone five months, like this?

The next day was, if anything, worse.

Magneto scowled in disgust at the quarrelling mutants. "Behave yourselves!" he ordered. "Is this how the future rulers of the world act?"

There was only one response they could make...

"Sorry."

"I should hope so."

"You don't have to stay here," Mystique said.

She felt another jolt . . . and then she started coughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

"Quick, call 911!" Toad blurted.

"Knock it off!" Mystique rasped, when she had finally caught her breath.

Toad hung his head. "I was just tryin' to help..."

"What made you think running around like an idiot was helping?"

Toad was cowering in abject fear now. "But--but--" he stammered.

"WHAT?!"

"Nothing," he squeaked. He slinked out of the room.

"Are you **sure** you're all right?" Magneto asked.  
Mystique sighed. "I'm as all right as anyone in my situation could be right now. Hand me my diary?"  
"Diary?" He looked puzzled.  
"The blue book on the dresser."

He looked. "I don't see any blue book."  
"Try the top drawer. Sometimes it falls in there."  
Sure enough, there it was. JOURNAL was inscribed on the cover in black magic marker ink.

"Thank you."  
She flipped to the last entry--almost a week ago--and on the blank page following, began to write.

"A very tense day."she jotted down . . .

_I'm beginning to have second thoughts about all of this. I can't control the kids I have--how am I going to manage two more? It would be nice if SOMEONE helped out a bit more than he does. He tries, I think, but then he always has something more important to do and leaves._

She hesitated . . . then continued.  
_Rogue has been spending a lot of time with her brother. It's nice to see them getting along. I sometimes wish I could have both my children in one place . . . but we can't always have what we want . . ._

The page started blurring in front of her. She looked up. The room was wavering in and out of focus. That wasn't good.

_I don't need this now...._

As if sensing something wrong, the babies started kicking frantically.

She cried out in pain, but no one heard her . . . "HELP!"

Moaning, she tried to steady herself, but she fell sideways and her head hit the floor. There was a moment of disorientation, and then she blacked out.  
  
"Raven?"  
She heard someone calling her name, from far away. Why couldn't she see? Oh, right, her eyes were closed.  
She opened them to see the last person she'd expected.  
"Logan?"

"I heard the 911..."

"What are you doing here?"  
"I took Rogue home. Then, like I said, I heard you, and I came running. Are you okay?"  
"I don't think so," she said. "It hurts. Everything hurts."  
"I should take you to get looked at."  
"Who's going to watch the boys while I'm gone?"  
"They're old enough to look after themselves."  
"No. No, no, no." She twisted around to face him, which made her head feel like it was about to come off. "I can't leave them here alone. They destroy things. They don't mean to, but--"

"Why do I not like the sound of that?"

"Trust me, if you leave them in the house alone, there won't **be** a house when we get back! They started a fire last month--just a small one, but it nearly burned out the kitchen . . ."

Logan nodded. "I get the picture."

"I'll be fine here, really," she said . . . just before she threw up.

"That's it." Logan picked her up and, despite her protests, slung her over one shoulder and carried her out to the car.


	10. Kidnappings, Puppets, and . . . Somethin...

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

It was extremely humiliating for Raven Darkholme, a.k.a. Mystique, to be carried into the Xavier Institute like a helpless child. But Logan, her . . . actually, she wasn't sure **what** he was to her; they'd had one night together, which had resulted in the conception of twins, but it wasn't as if that **entitled** him to anything, was it?  
She realized she was babbling, but she couldn't help it.  
Logan brought her to the Medical Ward and laid her gently on a bed.

"She's in rough shape, Doc . . ."

A physician friend of Xavier's had stepped in to help.  
"Let me see . . ." he said, looking her over. "How far along are you?"  
"Almost five months," she said.   
"And when did these new symptoms start?"

"I've been having them for at least a day and a half..."

"We think she caught the flu from Kurt," Logan told him. "These pains are something new."  
"Do you think . . . are the babies in trouble?" Raven was terrified at the thought of anything happening to the twins.

"Highly unlikely, but it couldn't hurt to check."

The next few minutes involved a lot of whirring, beeping machines, some of which were unnecessarily invasive. All the time she was afraid for the twins....

Eventually, the results came back.  
"You can relax," the doctor said. "They're fine."  
"Thank God," Mystique sighed.  
"I'm more concerned about you. According to this, you're becoming dehydrated. You need to drink as much fluid as you can--juices, soups, and especially water."  
"I could," she protested, "but it won't stay down."

"It won't?"

"All the books I've read," she explained, "said that morning sickness was supposed to stop around the fourth month or so. Either they lied . . . or it affects mutants differently."  
"I can give you something to help. It really is important that you drink something."

"What do you have?"

He gave her a small vial of dark liquid. "This should help ease the nausea enough for you to keep something down."

Skeptically she took the liquid. "Oh well," she said. "Bottoms up."  
It tasted horrible, which was about what she had expected. But once she'd swallowed the last drop, her stomach settled.  
Great. Now all she had to worry about was this horrendous cough.

"This just doesn't seem to be my day, " she quipped in a voice growing hoarser by the minute.

"This is where the liquids come in," said the doctor. He turned to Logan. "Get her some tea to start with. If that goes down well, try some fruit juice, and then--"  
The door crashed open.   
"Where's Mystique?"

"Not now, Toad!"

"You tell us what you did with her or we'll--"

"Ach, get a grip, Toad!" Kurt cut in abruptly.

"We want her back! That Logan guy kidnapped her from our house! He can't do that!"

"_ What?!!_"

"It's okay, boys," Mystique called out to them. "I'm fine. He didn't kidnap me."

Now they were really confused. "Well, then . . . what are you doing here?" Lance asked.

"I think I'd better explain." Xavier said at that moment.

"Because Mystique needs medical attention that she can't safely get elsewhere, I propose that she remain here until she recovers from her present illness."  
"But what about us?" Toad demanded. "Who's gonna watch us?"

"YOUR OLD PAL MR.RABBIT!" Pietro boomed, pulling out a hand puppet he'd somehow smuggled in with him.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Kurt ripped the puppet off the speedster's hand and stomped it to "death".

"Hey!" Pietro protested.

"What is this thing you have with puppets?" Mystique asked.  
"Hey, at least it wasn't the X-rated--ow!" said Toad.

Pietro took out a second puppet . . . "THAT WAS A MEAN THING YOU DID TO MR. RABBIT! MR. BADGER DOESN'T LIKE MEAN PEOPLE!"  
"Vell, **I** don't like Mr. Badger!" Kurt destroyed the second puppet as easily as the first.

"MR.SALAMANDER IS VERY UPSET ABOUT WHAT YOU DID TO MR.BADGER!"

"Not for long." Rip rip, stomp stomp. "Any more little friends?"  
Pietro handed over Mr. Possum, Mr. Tree Sloth, Mr. Porcupine (who'd begun life as Mr. Pincushion), and Mr. Wolverine.

The real Wolverine scowled at the tiny likeness of himself. "Not funny."  
"You should see what he does with--ow!" Toad rubbed his shin. "Hey, quit kicking me!"

"You asked for it, Toad."

"Can we just take Mystique and go?" Pietro demanded. "We'll take good care of her."

Mystique just groaned . . .

"As I've already explained," Xavier said patiently, "Mystique needs to stay here until she gets better."  
"But what about us?"

"YES! AND WHAT ABOUT YOUR OLD PAL MR. RABBIT?" Pietro had smuggled in a spare rabbit puppet.

"Can't we just kill him?" asked Toad.

"WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT, TODD?"

"Because you're an annoying little pest and you're driving us crazy?" Lance ventured.  
"AW, MR. RABBIT'S NOT ANNOYING!"  
"Who's talking about Mr. Rabbit?"

"YOU ALL SHOULD WORSHIP THE GROUND PIETRO WALKS ON!"

"That's it!"  
The whole house started shaking. Lance stormed over to Pietro and grabbed him by the throat. Then Fred pulled him off.

"Let me at 'im!"

"Boys," Rogue said, entering the room. "Ya just can't leave em alone."

"Oh, uh, hi, Rogue."

Pietro quickly hid his next puppet behind his back. "Hi, Rogue. What are you doing here?"

"I got home and saw a note that said Mama was here. Is she okay?"

"Not really," Pietro said, trying desperately to make sure Rogue didn't see the puppet.

Xavier explained once again Mystique's current condition . . . while Rogue eyed Pietro suspiciously.

"What's behind yer back?"  
"Uh . . . nothing," he said, dropping the puppet and trying to kick it under the bed.

"Nothing, huh?" she said, starting to peek under the bed.

He moved quickly between her and the bed.  
"Um . . . why don't we let your mom get some rest, and we'll go . . . somewhere?"

"Out of mah way, Pietro."

Pietro grabbed her by the arm, shoved his head towards hers, and kissed her.  
It wasn't a very successful distraction--it lasted all of four seconds before he slumped unconscious to the floor (he'd forgotten about that part). But it left Rogue standing there, stunned, for what seemed like forever.  
"What the heck was that all about?" she wondered.

"Uh . . . let's get outta here," Toad said, picking up Pietro's limp form and hightailing it out of the room. With puzzled expressions, the others followed.  
  



	11. Working Things Out

Mommy Mystique (cont.)  
  
"What was all that about?" Xavier asked Rogue.  
  
"Idon'tknow," she said. "I gotta go burn off some of this energy." She took off like a shot, using Pietro's borrowed speed.  
  
She came back about half an hour later . . .  
  
Pietro was still out. The others had put him in one of the guest rooms till he woke up, but it looked like it might be some time.  
  
"We got rid of all his puppets." Toad told her. "Except the one he tried to hide under the bed, that is . . ."  
  
"Puppets?"  
  
"We, um, used to have puppet shows."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I dunno. He liked--I mean, likes--puppets."  
  
"You're kiddin'." Rogue found this hard to believe.  
  
"Yeah, he's real good with 'em, too. The voices all sound the same, though."  
  
"Whoa." This was a new one on Rogue.  
  
"D'you think he'll wake up soon?"  
  
"Let's hope not."  
  
"Why?" he asked. "Doncha want him to be okay?"  
  
"Not that--I mean 'cause he'll kill me if he finds out you told me about the puppets."  
  
"He won't find out. C'mon, let's see where they're hiding the food in this joint."  
  
"Maybe later...." Rogue was still trying to figure out what had happened. She hadn't even had a clue Pietro liked her, and then he goes and--  
  
It was just too confusing. "Where is mah head at?"  
  
"Well, you got part of Speedy's brain in there with you or something, right?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"His thoughts'd mess anybody up."  
  
"No kiddin'. Ah should get home and study," Rogue said abruptly. It was the week before finals, and she wasn't doing all that great in a couple of her subjects. Naturally, the most important ones.  
  
When Pietro finally came to.... the first thing he saw was Toad's face hovering over him.  
  
"Aaaagghhh!"  
  
"Chill, Pietro!" Toad said.  
  
"Where am I? What happened? Where's Rogue?"  
  
"Long story . . ."  
  
" How long?"  
  
"Mr. Kelly's class long."  
  
Pietro shuddered. Soon-to-be-Acting Principal Kelly was known for endless boring lectures on the history of some place that none of them could afford to visit even if they wanted to.  
  
"Why am I still here?" he asked.  
  
"Uh, we didn't want to move you cause it might hurt you worse."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Toad started to explain.  
  
Pietro was only half-listening. He was wondering where Rogue had got to, and trying to figure out what he'd say to her when he saw her. He didn't know why he'd done such a dumb thing, but he knew he didn't want her mad at him.  
  
"So how do we get outta here?"  
  
Toad shrugged. "I dunno. Follow a trail of bread crumbs?"  
  
"Forget it. Let's just go."  
  
So they went back to the boarding house . . .  
  
. . . where they found Rogue.  
  
Pietro stared at her . . .  
  
"What're ya lookin' at, Speedy?"  
  
"Uh . . . "  
  
Pietro started to slink away but Rogue stopped him.  
  
"Hold it, Speedy."  
  
"What's up?"  
  
Rogue took a step closer. "We gotta talk."  
  
"You're not kidding."  
  
They sat down.  
  
Toad shuffled his feet. "Uh, I'll just go now . . ."  
  
Neither of them paid any attention.  
  
When they were alone, Rogue looked at him and sighed. "So what was that kiss all about?"  
  
"You like to get right to the point, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Uh . . ." Pietro, for once in his life, was speechless. He just stared at her . . .  
  
"Ah said, what was that all about?"  
  
"I don't know. It just kind of happened . . ."  
  
"So now what do we do?"  
  
Pietro was quiet for what seemed like an eternity . . .  
  
"I don't know," he said finally, in a very small voice. "I feel like everything's falling apart. Well, I mean . . ."  
  
"What's the matter, hon?"  
  
"I just don't know . . ."  
  
The door slammed loudly. Lance had just returned home from his first day of his new job.  
  
"I don't wanna hear a word!" he warned them both.  
  
Rogue and Pietro looked at each other. "What was THAT all about?"  
  
Fred hadn't said much about the whole situation. It usually took him a while to think things over. But that didn't mean he was stupid, or that he didn't care.  
  
He stayed with Mystique after the others had gone.  
  
"How you feelin', Mystique?"  
  
"Tired," she said. "I forgot how exhausting all this is."  
  
"All what?" Fred asked, confused.  
  
"Having babies . . ."  
  
"Oh." He sat down in a nearby chair, then jumped up again when it started making alarming creaking noises. "Uh . . . are you glad you're having the babies?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I mean . . . did you mean to?"  
  
"Well . . ." She thought about it. "Now that you mention it, not really, but now that they're on their way, I'm looking forward to having them."  
  
She coughed a few times.  
  
Fred thumped her on the back . . . a little too hard; she nearly lost some teeth.  
  
"Not so hard next time, Fred."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Someone came in at that moment . . .  
  
. . . Kurt.  
  
"You can go now," he said to Fred.  
  
"Uh, if it's okay, I think I wanna stay." Fred replied.  
  
There was a tense moment.  
  
"Okay," Kurt said finally. "Just don't get in my vay."  
  
"OK."  
  
"I just want to go home," Mystique moaned. Her voice was starting to cut out on her again.  
  
"Ssh, Mama, it's okay," Kurt murmured. He spoon-fed her some tea for a while . . . and soon, her voice started to come back . . .  
  
"You're such an angel," she whispered. "And I've been so horrible to you . . ."  
  
"Ssshhh . . . it's okay. Things will be different from now on."  
  
She reached out and petted his hair. It was softer than she'd expected.  
  
"Muzzer...."  
  
"My first baby . . ." she said.  
  
"Only by a minute."  
  
"A minute's a long time."  
  
Kurt found himself agreeing with her . . .  
  
"Uh . . ." Fred said. "I'll just go find something to eat." So he left . . .  
  
Meanwhile, Magneto had stopped by the Brotherhood house . . . and was astonished by the almost total silence.  
  
"Where is everyone?" he wondered aloud.  
  
Toad was just getting in the door. "Lance is in his room sulking, Rogue and Pietro went for a walk, and Fred's still with Mystique." He went into the living room to watch cartoons.  
  
Magneto sat down at the kitchen table. He couldn't believe what a mess things had become.  
  
"It's all that woman's fault," he sighed. "If she hadn't been running around like a common trollop . . ."  
  
He didn't see Pietro come in, and thus couldn't know that his son had overheard the last part of his sentence. It would have avoided a lot of confusion (not to mention beatings) later on. 


	12. Mystique's a Kind of Seafood?

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

"Trollop?" said Pietro to himself.

"What's a trollop?" Toad asked.

"Shhh!" Pietro hissed. "I'll tell you later."

"No, c'mon, I wanna know!"  
Pietro looked around cautiously, and then motioned the younger boy closer. "It means she sleeps around . . ."

"But she doesn't," Todd said in confusion. "She sleeps here."  
Pietro rolled his eyes. "I **mean**," and he whispered into Todd's ear.

"EWWWWWWWW"!

"She's a bad person," Pietro said. "She shouldn't be living here. Let her go live with her boytoy. She's a bad role model."

"Better not let Mystique hear you say that."

"But Mystique's not here, is she?"

"That's not the point, Pietro!"

"Look," Pietro said. "She's supposed to be our mother, right? Well, sort of. What kind of a mother goes and picks guys up at a bar?"  
"Mine did."   
"That--that was different. Anyway, she's a bad influence, and I think we should have her removed."  
"But who'll take care of us?"  
"Is there a problem, boys?"  
Magneto had only heard the tail end of the conversation, and had no idea what his offhand remark had spawned.

Later that night . . .

Lance had taken possession of the remote control, and was absorbed in watching _Friday The 13th Part 5_.

"Pssst!" Pietro whispered in his ear. "Mystique is a trollop! Pass it on."  
Lance paused the tape, and then gave Pietro a funny look. "What the heck is a trollop?"  
"You know . . ."  
"No I don't."  
"It's like an old-fashioned slut."  
"Oh."

Unfortunately for Pietro, Mystique came home that night, and heard his little comment. She moved with surprising speed, and grabbed him by the throat.  
"Hi, Mystique," Pietro gasped. "Feeling better?"

"Well, I was," Mystique spat.

"Could you let go of me, please? I can't breathe!"  
"Not until you apologize for calling me a trollop."  
When Rogue heard that, she was incensed. "You called my mother a trollop?"  
"Well . . ."

Rogue cocked her arm back and slapped him as hard as she could.  
At least she was wearing gloves this time, which cushioned the impact a bit.

"OW!" 

"You watch how you talk about mah mama!"  
"Sorry!" Pietro rubbed the spot where she had struck him.   
"Ya better be."

"Now then," Mystique said, "what's this about me being a trollop?"

"Well . . ." He was definitely treading on dangerous ground here. "You know, sleeping around and stuff, that's not a sign of a good role model."

Mystique wanted to kill him...

"My life," she said, "is my own business. You do not have the right to pass judgment on me. While you are living in this house, you will treat me with respect--"

"I didn't call you a trollop first, Magneto did!"

"What?"  
She was stunned. How could he--but she thought--he'd always been--  
"Where is he?" she demanded.

"I don't know!"

"Call him."  
"But I'm not supposed to, except in an emergency . . ."  
The way she glowered at him made him fear for his life. "If you don't get him here **right** now, there'll **be** an emergency!"  
He gulped and began dialling.

Ten minutes later Magneto came in through the back door. Mystique wasn't happy about that. He shouldn't be able to just come and go as he pleased, in her house.

"What's this about?" he demanded when he saw her.

"Kids," she said, "leave."  
"But--"

**_"Now."_**

Everyone cleared out as fast as they could, even cranky Lance. When Mystique got into these moods, you didn't want to get in her way.

Finally there was no one around except Mystique and Magneto.

She got right to the point. "Where exactly do you get off calling me a trollop?"  
"A **what**?"

"Trollop! T-R-O-L-L-O-P...trollop!"

Magneto hadn't remembered his little mutterings to himself the previous evening. "I have never called you a trollop!"  
"Oh? That's not what your son said!"  
"He must have made that up. I would never--"  
Mystique leaned forward and, grabbing him by the ears, yanked him across the table.

"He heard you say it."

"Aaagghh!" Magneto was wishing he hadn't taken off his helmet. Damn woman was trying to pull his ears off! "Stop it!"  
"Not until you apologize for calling me a trollop!"  
"But I didn't!"  
She tightened her grip. 

"I didn't say you were a trollop, I said you were acting LIKE a trollop!"

"It's the same thing!" She was digging her nails in now, and it was **really** starting to hurt.  
"No it isn't! I was commenting on--OW!--the behavior, not the person! Now please let go!"

Reluctantly, she let go. "Would you please," she said, "explain to Pietro why he shouldn't go around calling me a trollop? Maybe he'll listen to you."

"I'll try..."

"Good. I'll be in my room . . . that is, if I can get there." The stairs looked a lot steeper than they had a few days ago.

When Pietro finally worked up the courage to return, he tried sneaking into the house . . .

. . . only to have Magneto stop him in his tracks.

"We need to have a little talk," he said ominously.

"We do?"

"Yes," Magneto said, smiling an evil smile. "We do."  
He didn't like pain very much; never had. He was still furious with Mystique for what she had done to his ears, and he was looking to take that anger out on someone. The boy would do nicely.

He grabbed Pietro by the arm.

"Ow ow ow!" Pietro screamed. "You're hurting me!"

"What did you think you were doing?"

"Uh . . . going to the mall?"  
Magneto resisted the urge to shake the boy. "I **meant**, why did you call Mystique a trollop?"

"Well, that's what she is!"

They had a long chat about respect, and how to treat others. When it was over, Pietro rubbed his sore behind and whimpered.

"Now then, Pietro...."

"What? You're not done?"

"Let me put it this way--no."

The boy started to cry, in spite of himself. "I **said** I was sorry! What do you want from me?"  
"You haven't said it to her."  
"That's because she's not here."  
"Of course she's here. She's in her room."

"Huh?"

"Go up," the older man said calmly, "and apologize to her."  
"But I meant it! I'm sorry I said it to her, but I'm not sorry she is one."  
_Mustn't kill him, mustn't kill him,_ Magneto thought to himself. _Pity. _"Pietro..."

"She's a bad role model! She only cares about herself! She should go away and--"  
Suddenly a hand was around his throat.

"What were you saying about me?"

"Mystique," he gasped. "You're up."  
"Yes, I am. What did you just call me?"  
"Aagghh . . ." She was squeezing too hard, without realizing it. The boy was struggling to breathe.

"Well?"

He suddenly went limp in her arms.  
"You killed him!"

"What?" Mystique was genuinely horrified.

So was Rogue. "Mama, what have you done?"  
"He can't be . . . I didn't . . ."  
She felt at the base of his neck, then breathed a sigh of relief. "He's not dead."

Rogue glared at him. "But he's gonna wish he was if I ever catch puttin' you down again."

"Agreed." Mother and daughter then went to the kitchen to see if there was any ice cream left.


	13. Return of the Evil Puppet

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

A few hours later, Pietro revived, and apologized profusely to both Mystique and Rogue. Just to be safe. He wanted to get back on Rogue's good side, so they could maybe go out. Insulting her mother was definitely the wrong way to go.

What to do, what to do?

"I'll tell you what to do!" a little voice said.  
He looked down. His Mr. Rabbit puppet was lying there, looking up at him.  
_What the--?_

"No way!"

"Way!" said the puppet. "Put me on and I can take you places you've only dreamed of!"

Pietro wasn't sure how to react. This had to be a dream. Puppets just didn't talk by themselves.  
  
No, they certainly didn't--unless someone had hidden a tiny transmitter inside.

"Were you talking to me?" he asked Mr. Rabbit.

Upstairs, Toad, Lance and Fred crouched around a microphone, snickering.  
"Yes!" Toad said, in the puppet voice. (He was very good at voices.) "Do everything I say and you'll have whatever you want!"

"OK . . ."

"I'm taking a nap now. While I'm gone, I want you to . . ."  
The others were barely able to contain their laughter as Toad read out a list of what he wanted Pietro to do.

Pietro didn't suspect a thing until he started getting funny looks from people . . . and heard giggles

. . .

He realized that it probably wasn't a good idea to listen to Mr. Rabbit any further.

"You weren't gonna throw me away, were you?" the puppet demanded.

"I just might," Pietro warned him, "unless you tell me what Lance, Fred, and Toad are trying to pull . . ."

"It's not them! They had nothing to do with my plans! No, don't open that door!"  
Too late; he opened it.

"I might have known."

Toad looked up. "What?" he said, trying to hide the microphone behind his back.

"You tell me."

"Uh . . ."  
"Uh nothing! I caught you red-handed!"

They started to flee, but there was no outrunning the speed demon.

"Not so fast!"

"It was--it was only a joke, see?"

"Yeah, well, it wasn't funny."

"We won't do it again if you won't bring out your puppets again."

"What's wrong with my puppets?" Pietro demanded indignantly.

"Want the itemized list?"

Pietro was taken aback. "You . . . you really don't like the puppets?"  
"Well, we did," Toad said, "till they started getting in our faces and stuff."

"Yeah," Fred said, "he never shuts up."

"Love me," Pietro said, "love my puppets."  
"Uh," Toad said, "I don't know how to break this to you, but we don't exactly love you either."

Now Pietro was _really_ upset.

Fortunately, at that moment . . . Magneto showed up. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"These jerks don't like my puppets." Pietro said indignantly.

"Puppets?"

"My Mr. Rabbit puppets."

Magneto frowned. He'd heard much about these "puppet shows"--much that was not good.

"Tell me more."

"More?"

"About the puppet shows, I mean."

Pietro was absolutely panic-stricken. "Well, uh . . ."

"Come on, I haven't got all day!"

Pietro cleared his throat. "OK, well, uh, sometimes I like to put these shows on with Mr. Rabbit . . ."

"Tell him about the big carrot!" Toad gloated.

"The WHAT?"

"Shut up, you little--"  
"No, tell me. Big carrot?"

Pietro gulped again.

Fortunately at that moment, he was saved, by Mystique, of all people.

Now that she was in her final trimester, she refused to get out of bed. It was too much trouble.

She yelled for someone to bring her the phone.

"I'll deal with you later." Magneto told Pietro.

"Whew," Pietro said to himself.

He made a hasty exit, but forgot to take his puppet.

Magneto picked it up. "Doesn't look much like a rabbit to me," he said.

Then he noticed the "big carrot".  
"Ugh." He dropped the puppet and kicked it into a corner, where it remained for two days until Toad accidentally (or maybe not) sucked it up with the vacuum.

When Pietro looked at the puppet again, it was covered in fluff and nearly falling apart.  
A sensible person would have taken this as a sign and given up puppet shows forever.  
Pietro, however, had never shown any signs of sensibility. He preserved the fallen puppet in a glass case, bowing before it several times a day.  
He still put on the shows, though not X-rated ones anymore.


	14. Another Family Moment

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

A few days later, Mystique was in the middle of a visit with her children, when suddenly her stomach jolted harder than it ever had before. 

This was not supposed to happen. 

"Aaaah!" 

"What is it?" Rogue asked.  
Mystique gave her a look.  
"But it can't be! It's way too early!"  
"Tell **them** that!"  

"Zhat's it!" Kurt exclaimed. He wrapped his arms around Mystique (as soon as he found a place where his arms would go all the way around her) . . . only to have her groan, "I can't breathe!"

"Sorry."  
"Kurt, ya can't!" Rogue cried out.  
"I have to! She's in trouble!"

"But Kurt--"

"Vhat? Ve don't have time!"  
"It's too dangerous! You might hurt her worse!"

"Vat do ve do, then?"

"Maybe we can have someone drive her."

Mystique screamed again.

"Hang on." Kurt disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He reappeared a moment later. "Volverine's coming."  
"No . . ." Mystique moaned. "I don't . . . don't want him to . . . see me like this."

"Oh, Mama . . ."

She'd never been so scared in her life. Not for herself, but for her babies. If anything should happen to them . . . she'd be devastated. For the first time, she could actually **see** them, in her mind's eye. Little blanket-wrapped bundles, tiny hands waving in the air, reaching for her . . .  
There was another spasm, and she nearly screamed.

"Muzzer!"

She did something she thought she'd never do again.  
She sang.

"Vat the---?"

"Ah think she's tryin' to calm 'em down," Rogue whispered.

"Let's hope it vorks."

She rocked back and forth, her arms crossed over her midsection, crooning softly . . .

. . . and to Rogue and Kurt's relief, it worked.

By the time Logan showed up, the pains had mostly subsided. But he stayed with her anyway.

"When's the last time you got looked at?" he asked.

"Two--two days ago."

"And everything was okay then?"  
"Yes, I think so."

Wolverine pondered this . . .

"I'm takin' you with me," he said at last.  
She looked at him. "Where?"

"Hospital."

"But . . ."  
"No buts. We're going. Now."

Kurt and Rogue quickly got the message. They started packing a bag for her.

Despite her protests, the four of them left right away.

"Just hold on, Mama." Rogue said...

"I'm okay."

"No you're not, Mama, you're ready to burst..."

"But it's way too early! They can't come now!"  
"Try telling them that." 

The babies kicked again. In spite of herself, she let out a strangled yelp.  
"That's it!" Logan threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and carried her to the car.

Rogue scrawled out a hasty note:

_Took Mama to the hospital. Will call and let you know what happens. **DO NOT** eat dessert in fridge!_

When Fred and the others got home, they bypassed the note and went straight to the fridge.  
"Ooh, what's this? Someone made us some . . . uh . . . what **is** this stuff, anyway?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Don't you know **anything?** It's . . ."

"You don't have to get mad at me!" Fred complained.

"I'm not mad at you!"

"What's going on?" Toad said.

"Nothing. We're having that." Lance pointed at the dessert in question.  
"What is it?"

"Looks like some kind of pie."

"But it's got all stuff in it . . ."

"That's the filling, genius!"

"Where's Mystique?"  
"Ah, who knows? Get me a knife, will you?"

Then Lance looked at the note again... "Uh oh," he said.  
"What's that mean?" Fred asked.   
"It means we can't have that yet."  
"Aw, why?" Anyone who got between the Blob and his food was taking his life into his hands.  
"I dunno! Rogue said so! Maybe she wanted it to be a surprise or something."

At the hospital... the wait seemed eternal.  
"How long can it take them to check her over?" Rogue demanded.

"Beats me." Kurt said.

Finally someone came out to meet them.

"Kurt Wagner?"

"Ja?"

"I'm here about your mother..."

"Vhat's vrong?"  
"Nothing's wrong. She asked to speak to you."

Kurt followed the doctor....

Mystique was sitting up in bed, and looked well.  
"Is she all right?" Kurt asked.  
"We gave her something to stop the labor," the doctor said. "We can release her in a few days if there are no further complications, but she'll have to stay in bed until she delivers."

Kurt looked at his mother. "I'm here," he said.

"Kurt," Mystique began. "I want you to come live with us."  
"Vhat?"  
"I want us to be a family. All of us. It would be so much easier on all of us if you were around full-time."  
"But . . . vhat about zhe Institute?"  
"I'll talk to Charles, and we'll work it out somehow. I want to . . ." She seemed unable to continue for a moment. Kurt waited until she had gathered her thoughts. "I want to make up for missing so much of your life. I want to be your mother again."  
Kurt didn't know what to say. He simply stared at her.

Mystique sighed. "I understand," she said. "You need some time to think about it."

He slowly walked to the foot of the bed. "I don't know vhat to think," he said. "Ve can't erase the past . . ."  
"No, we can't," she said sadly.

After a pause, she added, "But we can learn from it in the future."

Kurt reached out and touched her blue skin, so much like his own. (Except for the fur, of course.) "Muzzer..."

"Think about it," she said. "You have time yet."

Rogue didn't say a word. She'd never had a family before, and now she had a mother and a brother and two new babies on the way and . . .   
She looked back at Logan. Was he part of their family now?

It was all a bit much to absorb at once.

Mystique suddenly felt very, very tired . . . and lapsed into unconsciousness. Kurt panicked and called the nurse, who was quick to respond.  
"What's wrong?"

"She just . . . she . . ."

"She's fainted." Rogue said.

"It's not uncommon at this stage."

"Really?"

The nurse checked her over and found that she was all right.

When Mystique awoke... She was alone again.  
"Where did they all go?"

"They've just gone to the gift shop." the nurse told her.

"Are they coming back?"

"They said they'd be back in half an hour."

"Oh. Good." She sat back to wait . . . and felt a sudden jolt inside her.

The final countdown was on . . . and she wasn't ready.

(A/N: the actual birth will be about three chapters down the line. The next chapter is all about Lance and his horrible job. Stay tuned!)


	15. Lance's Job/Planning the Baby Shower

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

"You're going to get jobs," Mystique had said, way back at the beginning of all this. Like it was that easy. Sure, just get a job. They're giving them away three for a dollar down on the corner. All you have to do is trade in your self-respect, and any hope you had of attracting the opposite sex . . .

Right now he hated just about everyone: Mystique, Wolverine, the X-Men, the Brotherhood, the world . . . but most of all his new "boss", a short bald guy who seemed to think that running a dinky little yogurt shop made him second only to God. And he made Lance wear a hair net, for God's sake!

Lance wanted to kill him, but as Mystique had said, they needed the money, especially where she wouldn't be working for a year. So he bit his tongue and hoped that he'd get a new manager soon.

The manager, in turn, though Lance Alvers was a complete loser and was hoping, praying, that the little freak would do something to give him an excuse to fire his sorry butt.

Lance straightened his stupid uniform and tried to count ways to kill the boss.

The boss checked the week's profits and tried to catch Lance doing what he wasn't supposed.

It was like any job, really.

Today was Saturday, which meant steady business all day long. Lance and the other two people who worked the front counter had their hands full from the time the mall opened until lunch break at two o'clock. By then he was too tired to eat.

"I hate Mystique." he mumbled.

"Who's Mystique?" asked a girl he worked with, who joined him at the table. "Oh, you got the curly fries. How are they?"

"Almost done." 

"I mean, are they good or what?"

"What?" Lance blinked."Oh . . . uh . . ."

He couldn't remember her name; she had just started two days ago. She reminded him a lot of Kitty, except that she (not Kitty, the other girl) was blonde and tended to wear a lot of blue and green.

"Yeah." he said finally.

"Great," she said. "I really shouldn't have any, cause they're like loaded with fat and calories, but once couldn't hurt, right?"

"I guess not." Lance said.

"Okay then. Save my seat, will you?"

"Okay."

She got up and went to the fry booth . . . and Lance suddenly found himself hoping Kitty wouldn't come here and run into her.

Actually . . . he hadn't told anyone where he was working. Except Mystique, because he had to sign his paycheck over to her every week. (They were working on getting him a bank account.)

Still, it was a steady job, 6.75 an hour, and unless he screwed up royally, he wouldn't have to worry about losing it.

So, for a while, at least, he forgot about hating his boss. But that didn't last. By the end of the day, he was so frustrated he almost couldn't find his way home.

When he finally did get home, however, the house was in chaos.

"'Bout time you got back!" Toad complained.

"What did you do to this place?" There was stuff all over the floor. "It looks like a bomb went off here!"

"We lost the remote."  
"So you just threw everything on the floor and left it there?" Lance was too tired to pick it up himself, so he just collapsed on the couch.  
Someone was already there.

"Hey! Get off me!"  
Lance jumped up in surprise. "Oh, sorry," he said. "Didn't see you there."

"So whatcha been up to?"

"I've been working, what else?"

"Get yelled at yet?" Toad snickered.

"Oh, what do you know about it?"

"Just what Mystique told me." Toad giggled.

"Is she home yet?"  
"Nah, she's still in the hospital. For now, anyway. Wish those stupid babies would hurry up and get here already!"

"Careful what you wish for." Pietro said. He slumped back onto the couch.

Lance just stomped up to his room and slammed the door.

He hated Mystique for making him get a job. And making him hand over his salary. Why did he have to be the one to support the family? It wasn't fair!

He punched the wall . . . which was not a good move. Now he'd have to find some way of covering up the hole.

He looked around till he found one of his old posters. Perfect. You'd never know the hole was there.

Now that that was out of the way, he started thinking of ways he could get out of this mess . . . .

There weren't a whole lot.  
Well, he could stick to his original plan, and hit the road. But where would he go? Both his parents were dead. He'd had enough of foster homes, and group homes, and any other state-run hole they cared to put him in. (That included prison--well, juvenile hall, where he'd spent two months when he was thirteen.)  
So what now?

Then he decided that it didn't matter, just as long as it was away from here . . .

At that precise moment . . . he heard a knock on the door.

"Go away!"

"It's me, Toad, yo."

"What do you want?"   
"I brought you something."

"Unless it's a one-way bus ticket out of town," Lance snapped, "I don't want it."

"No, no, you'll like this. Open the door."

Lance sighed. "Okay." He opened the door . . .

Toad was standing there, holding a note from Kitty. Lance could tell without even reading it, just from the pink paper.

"What's it say?"  
Toad rolled his eyes. "How should I know? I don't read other people's mail!"

"Yeah you do!"

"Okay, so I do, but I didn't this time!"

Lance took the note. Toad was just standing there like an idiot.  
"Well?" Lance prompted.  
"Whaddya want, a tip?"  
"No, I want you out of here!"

Toad hastily retreated.

Lance opened the note and read it.  
  
_Dear Lance,  
Kurt is very excited about the new babies. We got to talking, and he thought we should give Mystique a baby shower. Can we do it at your place? We'll set up and bring the food and stuff. Call me and let me know if it's okay.  
Kitty_

Lance didn't know what to say . . .

He took the phone into his room, and dialed her number. "Kitty?"

"Hi!" she said. "You, like, got the note?"  
"Yeah."

"So when are you coming?"

"What, you mean now?"  
"Well, we have to, like, plan it out and stuff. When's Mystique coming home from the hospital?"  
"Uh . . . I'm not sure. Hang on." He put the phone down and shouted, "When's Mystique coming home?"  
"Tuesday!"

"Okay..." He picked up the phone again and passed on the information to Kitty.

"So come over, and we'll talk about what we can put together by Tuesday. OK?"

"Okay."

He grabbed his keys and shouted over his shoulder, "I'm going out!" And was gone before anyone could ask where.

Kitty rushed to the door. "Hi, Lance!" she said. "Come on in!"

"Is Chromed--I mean, the professor here?"

"Uh, no, he's out. All the adults are out somewhere. Which is why I asked you over tonight."

Lance heaved a sigh of relief.

Kitty showed him the list she had made so far, of stuff they would need.

"Whoa. You guys sure you need all this?"

"Wait till you see the guest list."  
Lance was surprised to see she had put down all the members of the Brotherhood, as well as most of the X-Men. "Uh, I don't think this is such a good idea . . ."  
"Will you relax? Everything will be fine!"

Lance was a bit skeptical, but still, he wanted to be there. "What about the gifts?"

"Gifts?"

"It'll look funny if you all give her big expensive presents and we don't."

"I guess you're right," Kitty admitted.

Elsewhere in the house, Scott and Evan heard a strange voice coming from upstairs. They went to check it out.

It turned out to be the worst mistake they could have made.

Pietro was in the midst of a full-blown Mr. Rabbit puppet show.

"Hi, kids!"

"I thought you got rid of the puppets!"

"Sorry." Pietro replied sheepishly. "I got bored."

"Put those away before you scar someone for life!"   
Pietro was surprised to see Rogue there. She had spent most of the week at the hospital with her mom, or hanging out with her brother.  
"What are you doing here, Roguey?"  
"Don't call me Roguey!" she teased him.

"Suit yourself." He put the puppets away. "You heard about the party?"  
"Party? What party?"

"For . . ." He was tempted to say 'trollop babies', but Rogue might punch him out if she did. "You know, the baby shower."  
"Oh, that. Yeah."

The house was buzzing. The news about the babies was the most exciting thing that had happened around here in a long time.

"What do you think she'll call them?" Rogue asked Kurt.

"I don't even know if zhey're boys or girls."  
"You don't know?"  
"She said she couldn't tell from zhe tests."

"Oh, brother!"

"Maybe. Maybe sister. Maybe one of each." Kurt smiled happily. He would be happy with either one, as long as he got to see them.

In the kitchen, Kitty and Lance were going over the revised list. And it was a pretty long list . . .

"Okay, we've got all the food . . ."  
"Not if Fred's coming. You'll never have enough food for him."

"Good point."

"Now we just have to figure out where to hold it."

"The carrot patch!" Pietro said in Mr. Rabbit's voice.  
"Shut up, Pietro." Lance grumbled.

"Humph," Mr. Rabbit said. "No respect!"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Ever think of maybe giving the puppets up, Pietro?"

"But I like my puppets!"  
"Yeah, well, like, no one else does!"

Pietro glared at her. Just for that, he introduced a new character: Brain-Dead Valley Girl Rabbit.

"You're asking for it, Pietro." Lance growled.

"Knock off the puppet thing!" Rogue demanded. "We're tryin' to have a serious conversation here!"  
Pietro sulked for a while . . . and Rogue ignored him. It wouldn't last long.

"So," she said to Kitty, "how are we gonna have all of us and all of you in the same room without killin' each other?"  
Kitty hadn't thought of that. "Uh . . ."

 A rabbit puppet popped up by her ear. "How about we rent a carrot patch?"  
"Shut up!" She swatted at it, but Pietro was too fast. He was on her other side before she could raise her hand.

"Why you little...!"

"You asked for this." Rogue took off her glove . . . and grabbed Pietro by the arm. He had only a moment to give her a startled look before he passed out.

"Serves ya right, Speedy." she smirked, taking the rabbit puppet and stuffing it in the wastebasket.

"I think he had a good idea, though," Kitty said. "Why don't we rent a hall? That way it's not your place, or our place . . ."  
"Neutral territory," said Lance. "That could work, but . . . where do we get the money?"

"Good question." The three of them looked at Pietro, who always seemed to have extra cash . . .

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Lance mused.  
Kitty looked shocked. "That would, like, be stealing!"  
"I didn't say steal it from him. More like . . . blackmail him into helping us."

"That's low!"  
"Uh huh."  
"That's despicable!"  
"Yep."  
"So . . . how do we pull it off?"

Little did they know that Logan was in an adjacent room and could hear every word . . .

"You guys got something you wanna tell me?"

"Uh . . . no! Nothing!"

"Try again."

They realized they'd have to tell him eventually . . . so Lance filled him in on what they had so far.

"You wanna what?"

"We should do something nice for her. And you, too," Lance added, remembering that Logan was the father of the babies.

Logan didn't know what to say. "I don't know if she's up for a big party. She's supposed to be resting . . ."

Pietro started to come around.

Rogue leaned over him. "Think you can behave yourself this time, Speedy?"

"Wha . . . what'd I do?"

She gave him a look.  
"Oh . . . you mean the puppets!"  
"Puppets?" Logan asked.

"Yeah . . ." Rogue began.

"Uh . . . can we talk more about the party?" Pietro said, trying to change the subject.

But Logan was more interested at that second in hearing about the puppets. "What kind of puppets? Like Howdy Doody?"

"Not quite," Rogue said, glaring at Pietro, who finally gave in.

"Oh . . . you mean Mr. Rabbit."  
"Yes, Mr. Rabbit."

Pietro gulped. "Okay," he said. "You win. The puppets stay home."

Under his breath, though, he muttered, "Nobody around here has any sense of humor."

They called around, and found a hotel with function rooms for discounted prices. Even better, they supplied all the party goods--everything from decorations to food. It was all part of the package.

"Vunderful!" said Kurt when he found out.

"Now all we have to do is get the invitations out," said Rogue.  
"Invitations? I thought it was just gonna be us."

Rogue turned to Scott and said, "You in on this whole party thing?"

"Yeah . . ." He thought it was a bad idea, too, and it must have showed.

"Well, just don't screw this up, will you?"  
"Why would I do that?"

Rogue just looked at him. "Please? This is important . . ."

"Can we just go home?" Lance grumbled.

"SHUT UP, LANCE!" everyone snapped in unison.

Rogue looked around. "You know, this place ain't bad. We could all live here and not even bump into each other half the time."  
"Live here?" The other Brotherhood members thought she'd gone crazy.

"Yeah."

"Uh . . . we'll think about it." Lance hurried them out the door. He had to work the next day . . . and his jughead boss wanted him by 8 AM, the twit. On a Sunday! The mall didn't even open till 10, but for some reason the food court opened early. Crap. He hated coming in early . . .

But when he got there the next morning, he found that What's-Her-Name was there too.

"Hi, Lance."

"Hi, uh . . ." It was cheating to glance at her name tag, but he did it anyway. "Caitlin."

"You holdin' up OK?"

"Yeah, I guess so."   
They worked together for a while setting things up, and then she asked him, "Um . . . do you have a girlfriend or anything?"  
"No," he said, thinking of Kitty. He liked her, he thought she kinda liked him, but there was nothing formal there, was there? Especially with her being an X-Man and him being with the Brotherhood.

"Well, then," Caitlin said. "Would you like to go out sometime?"  
He thought about it a long while. "Where'd you wanna go?"

"Oh, anywhere you want is okay, I guess. How about tonight?"  
"No, I'm not allowed to go out on a school night."

"Tomorrow night, maybe?"

"I'm working tomorrow night."  
"Oh. Well, what about Tuesday?"

"Tuesday's good."

Then he remembered . . .  
"Oh, no, wait a minute. Tuesday I've got this . . . family party. I can't."

"Wednesday?"  
"Great. What time?"

"Are you working?"  
"Just till 7. How about we meet here then?"  
"Great!"

He floated on a cloud of happiness the rest of the day. Not even the Evil Boss could get him down.

Back at the Brotherhood house, things were tense.  
Magneto had been out of the country for more than a month, on "business". But he was about to come home . . . and he had no idea what he'd be walking into.

At the toy store downtown, he bought two of their biggest teddy bears, and tied yellow ribbons around their necks. He still didn't know whether the twins were boys or girls.

Nor was he aware that Logan had his own plans for Mystique.

(And the tension mounts! Next chapter: surprises all around at the baby shower! Don't worry, the twins are coming soon!)


	16. Surprise Party, Indeed!

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

Logan wasn't sure if he could go through with what he had planned.  
But on Tuesday afternoon, when he came to pick her up, he brought what he needed with him.

The kids didn't know, so they couldn't spill the beans to her . . . before it was time. For everybody concerned, it was better if he kept it a surprise, at least for now.

At the Institute, the kids were getting ready to go.  
"I hope she likes this," Kitty said, struggling to wrap her present.

" _Ja, me too." said Kurt Wagner._

It was a pair of cute little stuffed dolls. Even if the babies were boys, they would like them. Kitty knew she did.

"You all ready?" Rogue came in, carrying her present.

"Yeah!"

"What time are they supposed to get here?"

"Eight, eight-thirty . . ."

The rest of the group started arriving around seven-thirty. Most of them were dressed up . . . except Pietro. He wore his usual clothes, as a protest against what he called "loose moraled-people".

"Pietro's being a jerk." Lance grumbled to Toad.

"Is he still on about the whole 'trollop' thing?"  
"I think so. He says we're, quote, endorsing sex before marriage, unquote."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "He's being stupid."

"Try telling him that."

Pietro shot them a dirty look, but said nothing.

"Where are we going?" Mystique asked.

"You'll see."

"We're not going straight home? I'm supposed to rest . . ."  
"I know. This won't take long."  
They drove on for a while before she couldn't take any more. "Okay. Out with it. Where are we going?"  
"To get married."  
"No, really."  
"Really."

Mystique stared at him as if he had just confessed to being Toad's long-lost brother. 

"Why would you want to marry me?" she muttered, so low he almost didn't catch it.

"Well, Raven . . ."

"Well what? Don't tell me you actually love me. Nobody can do that."

"Stranger things have happened."

"Name one."  
"Well . . . I never thought I'd ever have kids, or at least ones I knew about and wanted to stick around to see . . ."

Mystique had to admit he had a point. "Even though I told you I didn't want a relationship?"  
"Well, let me put it this way." Logan pulled over. "Your mouth said no, but everything else about you said yes."  
"You're talking about that night."  
"Why do you think I went with you?"

For a change, Mystique was speechless.

"So is that a yes or a no?"

After what seemed like forever, she said, "Yes."  
"Good. We've got an eight o'clock appointment at the J.P.'s, and then--"  
"Appointment?" She looked surprised. "You went ahead and made an appointment before you even knew if I'd say yes?"

"Thought I should be prepared."

"How prepared?"

Logan looked down at Mystique's stomach. "Considering we don't have a whole lot of time," he said, "I got everything ready. License, blood tests . . . all we have to do is show up and say the words."

It did make sense, after all, so Mystique said, "Okay."  
They went inside.  
  


  
"Where **are they?"**

"I hope they show up soon. We only have this room till ten, and if we don't start soon, we won't have time to open the presents." Kitty was starting to pace around.

"Or eat." Fred added through a mouthful of chips.

Rogue slapped his hand. "Leave some for the rest of us!"  
"Maybe somezhing happened," Kurt said. "Zhey had car trouble, maybe."  
"They would have called." Kitty was pacing by now. After all the work she had done to put this thing together . . .

"Maybe they ran off to Vegas." Lance cracked.

There was a pause, and then everyone (except Pietro) cracked up. He was busy writing a protest letter telling Mystique what he thought of her lifestyle.

Rogue wandered over to see what he was writing. "What's that?"  
"Oh . . . just homework." He folded it up and slid it into his pocket.

"You sure?"

"Yeah!"  
"Well, ya don't have to bite my head off!"

"Sorry."

It was nearly eight-thirty now, long after they should have shown up.  
"You think maybe Logan tipped her off?" Scott asked Jean.

"How could he? He doesn't know a--"

"Yes, he does."

All heads turned as one when Logan and Mystique finally made their appearance.  
"Sorry we're late, but we had to stop somewhere first."

"You mean the gas station, yo?" Toad asked.

"No," Logan said. "I'll tell you about it later. Let's have our party first."

"My thoughts exactly." Evan said.  
With that, they escorted the guest of honor to her special seat.

An hour or so into the party, after all the presents had been opened, Logan decided to go ahead and make the big announcement.

There was a hush in the room, and then Lance looked at them and said, "So what's up with you two? Are you together or what?"  
Mystique and Logan looked at each other, but didn't want to say anything just yet.

"The suspense is killin' me!" said Rogue.

Kurt looked at Evan and Fred. "Zhey're up to somezhing . . ."

"I hope they finish it soon." Fred replied. "I'm hungry."

"Didn't you just eat?"

"I'm still hungry!"

"Fine! Go eat then!" Lance threw up his hands in frustration. Since Mystique was preoccupied with the babies lately, he had to be the head of the household.

"Chill, Lance." Logan said.

Pietro shoved his card down the back of his seat. It had occurred to him that it might not be a good idea to give Mystique a card that said, "Congratulations on your evil trollop babies."

Especially since Mystique had warned him that the next time he used the word "trollop" around her, she would hurt him.  
But what was he supposed to do? Pretend that it was okay that she slept around?

He was so distracted by his thoughts of how upset he was with he that he almost missed hearing Logan say, "We just got married a couple of hours ago."

"Listen, man, I . . . huh?"

Mystique beamed. "We are now officially Mr. and Mrs."

To say the kids were having a hard time absorbing that would have been an understatement.

"We don't have to call ya Dad, do we?" Rogue asked.

"How about uncle, yo?" Toad suggested.

Logan chuckled. "You can call me whatever you want as long as it ain't nasty."

Rogue and Kitty both glared at Pietro, but he didn't say anything.

Kurt looked at his mother. "How long have you been planning zhis?"  
"Believe me," she said, "I was as surprised as you are."

"I don't doubt it." Lance said.  
"Can we eat now?" Fred asked Mystique.

"Yes," she said. "You can eat now."

Pietro stared at Mystique and Logan. 

"WHY?" he exclaimed. "Why would you DO something like this?"

"What's your problem, Maximoff?" Scott grumbled.

"I don't want you leaving us!"

"Say what?"

"When . . . when you have the babies, and, uh . . ."

"Aren't you going a little overboard, Pietro?" said Kitty.

"Yeah, I thought you hated her," Rogue said. "All this trollop stuff."

"Well . . . I didn't like her . . . being with someone else . . ."

This was unexpected. "I told you," Mystique said. "I'm a grownup, and I can take care of my own—"

He buried his face in his hands. "I don't wanna lose another mommy," he wailed.

"What do you mean, another mom?" Kitty asked.

In between muffled sobs, he confessed that when his first foster mother--the one he'd ended up with after his mom had died and his dad had left for the first time--had had a baby, she hadn't had any time for him, and he'd ended up being moved to another home . . .

"And I thought I had problems, yo." said Toad.

Mystique went over and squatted by Pietro's chair.  
"Nobody's going anywhere," she said.

"Why not?" said Fred.

She ignored him. "I'll still love you when the babies get here."

Pietro said nothing at first. He felt embarrassed now. Everybody probably hated him for acting like a four-year-old . . . but still, he couldn't get over these feelings of abandonment.

So Mystique gave him something special to let him know she wouldn't ever leave him.

It was a locket that had once belonged to her mother.  
"I want you to keep this," she said.  
He looked at it. For a moment or two, he was speechless . . .

Then he said, "You'd let me have this? After all I've said about you?"

"I'm hoping things can be better between us." Mystique said.

Rogue watched the scene with interest. This was something she hadn't expected at all.

She turned to Kitty. "Ah think she's gone nuts."

"Oh, c'mon, Rogue . . ."

"I have an announcement to make," Logan said.  
The room fell silent.  
"I've decided that for the time being, at least until the babies are born, I'm movin' in with you guys . . ."  
" **What?"  
"Oh, man," Toad groaned. "We won't be able to get away with nothing!"  
It was at that point that Magneto showed up, with both teddy bears. **

And all hell broke loose.

(Okay, this chapter isn't that good, but the best part's still yet to come. Don't worry, the babies will be born sometime in the next few chapters. I don't mean to drag it out, but there's still so much that has to happen first. See you soon!)


	17. As If We Didn't Have Enough Trouble

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

(A few notes to Fasheem, who brought up some points in reviews:

1. Well, he didn't throw her very **hard.**

2. I was planning, at some point, to have a flashback to show how "Shadowed Past" was different in this timeline. Still haven't worked that out. Maybe more towards the end. But it will be explained.)

The entire room sat there for a moment, stunned. The first person to leap to action was Kurt, who stood in front of his mother and declared, "I von't let you hurt her!"  
"Do I look like I want to hurt her?" Magneto sighed. "Where can I put these?"  
Rogue looked angry. "Ah don't think you were on the guest list!"  
"Please . . . please don't." Mystique looked tired, and Logan went to her.

Everyone was completely silent as Magneto glared at the two of them.  
"Step away from her," he said.  
Logan gave him a look that would have melted steel. "She's my wife. I'm taking her home now."  
"Not to my house you're not!"  
"Father!" Pietro protested. "Don't do this!"  
"This is what happens when I'm gone? You start . . . consorting with the enemy?"  
Chairs started moving around. The centerpiece on one table flew through the air and hit the opposite wall.

"Get a grip, yo!" Toad pleaded.

"Please," Mystique whispered. She was still sitting in her guest-of-honor chair, and her arms were wrapped around her midsection like she was in pain. "Don't do this."

Magneto hesitated. "I can't stand this," he said. "I can't stand to see you carrying another man's children again!"  
"If you call me a trollop again," Mystique hissed, "I will rip off your--"  
"Aw, geez, look at the time! We should be cleaning up and going home!" Toad started to gather up some of the confetti on the floor. With his tongue.

"TOAD!"

"What?" He looked at them, as if it were perfectly natural for him to be vacuuming the floor with his tongue.

"You're grossin' us out, man." said Lance.

Magneto, meanwhile, was giving Logan and Mystique suspicious looks.

Kurt moved to protect them, and Mystique waved him away. "Don't start any trouble, Kurt."  
"I'm not zhe vun who started it!"

"Easy, kid." Logan said. He looked at Magneto. "Let's you and I take this outside. That way nobody gets hurt."

Magneto hesitated . . . and from out of nowhere jumped, of all people, Wanda Maximoff.

Magneto stared at her in shock. He hadn't seen her in years . . . what was she doing here now?

She looked at her father. "What's going on?" she demanded. "Are you . . . involved with this woman?"  
"He wishes," Logan said, and Magneto gave him a murderous look.

"Got a few hours, kid?" Logan said to Wanda.

"I'm afraid not," she said. "I have to leave soon . . ."

"But you just got here!"

"I know," Wanda said, "but--"

"But nothing," Magneto said. "You belong with your family."  
She laughed. "Shame you didn't think of that before you dumped me like yesterday's garbage."  
"Now listen here--"

"Where's your buddy the Professor?" Lance whispered to Jean. "We're about to have a riot on our hands."

"Um . . . we didn't exactly tell him about the party," she said.

"We're toast."

Pietro stepped in between his father and sister. "Now Wanda, don't do anything rash . . ."  
"Oh, sure! Take his side!"  
"I'm not taking anyone's side! Except maybe the side that paid a big deposit for this room and doesn't want to see it trashed."

"Deposit?"

"We had to rent this space, and it wasn't cheap."  
Kitty was making "shut up" motions at him, but he didn't see her.

"We wanted to surprise Mystique with a baby shower . . ."

"I'm surprised," Mystique piped up. "I think I've had enough surprises tonight to last the rest of my life."

Wanda looked at her. "Are you all right?" she asked.  
"Actually," Mystique said, "I think my water just broke."  
If things had been tense before, they went into a panic now. Everyone was running around yelling at everyone else, which wasn't accomplishing much.

The only ones keeping their cool were Toad, Kurt, and Kitty, who helped Mystique up and brought her to the nearest car.  
Then they realized that none of them could drive . . .

So Toad grabbed Logan. "C'mon, man! You gotta take her to the hospital! Now!"  
"You sure about this?"

"Yeah!"

He looked to where Mystique waited in the car, an anxious expression on her face.  
"But what about the rest of the party?"

"We'll call them from the hospital!"

"Our place is closer!" Scott said. "And we won't have to worry about keeping a low profile!"

"If you say so!" Toad slammed the car door and they were on their way.

(Next chapter: The one you've all been waiting for! The twins are born—will they be boys or girls? What will they look like? I'm working day and night to bring you the answer!)


	18. The Babies Arrive

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

They broke several speed limits on their way to the mansion, but fortunately the cops had other things to do.

Magneto and the others followed in assorted vehicles. Mystique had a lot of explaining to do, Magneto thought . . . but it would have to wait. Clearly she was in no shape to do a lot of talking now.

In the van, Scott, Jean, and Storm winced as they bounced over a pothole.

"They should repave these roads!"  
"I'll bring that up at the next city council meeting." It was all Scott could do to stay behind the car carrying the expectant mother . . . 

It seemed like they hit every red light in town, but eventually they all made it back to the mansion in one piece.

They had just gotten Mystique onto a gurney when another contraction hit . . .  
. . . and she changed.   
It was like watching channels change on a TV. She flipped from one person to another . . . and back.  
"Whoa, this is just like 'The Matrix'." Fred said.

"It's not uncommon," the professor said, "for a mutant to temporarily lose control of his or her abilities during moments of--"  
"SHUT UP!" Mystique screamed at the top of her lungs.

Everybody flinched.

"I think you kids had better leave the room." Logan shoved them all out the door into the waiting room. He wished he could go with them--his new wife's mood was not likely to improve, but if he left her it might make her even madder at him.

The kids beat a hasty retreat.

The doctor stood by, ready to jump in should help be needed.

Mystique screamed at the top of her lungs, "GET THESE @#$@&$ BRATS OUT OF ME!"  
"You're not fully dilated yet--"  
"I DON'T CARE! RIP ME OPEN IF YOU HAVE TO, JUST GET IT OVER WITH!"

Just when she thought she couldn't take the pain another second . . . she felt something jab her in the back.  
"What was that?"  
"Just a shot of Demerol to help with the pain," the doctor said.  
"I don't think I need a shot," she moaned. "I need to be knocked out for about two days . . . just wake me up when it's over."

Out in the hallway, Toad cowered in fear. Every time Mystique raised her voice, it was because of something he'd done. And this time didn't seem to be much different. 

"Do we have to stick around for this? Can't we just go home and have them call us when something happens?"

"'Fraid not, Toady." Lance said.

"But we don't have to be here, do we?"  
"She's sorta our mom," Fred pointed out.

Meanwhile, Rogue sat between Kurt and Kitty, thinking about maybe coming to live here. It would be so much easier if everyone was in the same place.

At least she wouldn't have to worry about bugs. This place looked really clean. She wondered if they had a maid or a cleaning service or something.  
"Whatcha doing?" Pietro sat down beside her.  
"Nothin'. Just . . . thinkin'."  
"Bout what?"

"Well, about a lot of things . . ."

"Tell me."  
"Nah, you'll think it's dumb."  
"Aw, c'mon . . ."  
She sighed deeply. "I was thinkin'," she said, "about what it would be like to live here."  
"Live here?"  
"You know, so the whole family could be together."

"What does Xavier have to say about it?"

"I haven't told him yet."  
"Uh huh."  
"Anyway, it's not like I'm gonna move in tonight or anything. I have to talk it over with Mama and--and Dad." It felt weird, calling Wolverine "Dad", but that was the way things were now. Besides, "Dad" was easier than "the father of my little brothers/sisters".

"Assuming she doesn't wring his neck before the delivery's over." Lance joked.

"Vhy can't ve go in zhere?" Kurt asked.  
Kitty looked at him. "Have you ever **seen** a baby being born? It's all bloody and icky and gross! Wait till they clean them up first."

"Yeah," Toad said, "we wouldn't want Fred to mistake them for a pizza, yo."

"Hey!"  
"I was just kidding!"  
It was now well after eleven o'clock. Tomorrow being a school day, the kids should have been in bed. But none of them would have been able to sleep anyway.

For that matter, neither would Logan. The way Mystique was gripping his arm, he'd be lucky to have any feeling in it at all before this was over. Dealing with Juggernaut had been a piece of cake compared to this. . .

"Do we have to go to school tomorrow?" Kitty asked.

"I hope not, yo." Toad piped up.

Rogue was thinking about babies. It seemed unlikely she'd ever have one of her own, because of her powers.

"Aw, man . . ." she sighed.

"Something wrong?" Pietro asked her.  
She didn't know how to explain it. "Well, Ah . . ." 

She froze for two seconds. The thoughts that were going through her mind at that moment scared her. In fact, she was close to fainting . . .

"You okay?"

"Huh?"

"You looked funny for a second there."

Finally, Rogue sighed. "Ah may as well tell you, since it's never gonna happen anyway. Ah was thinkin' about you and me . . . having kids."  
She braced herself for his laughter, but he just stared at her. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"You . . . and me?"  
"Yeah. Not now, though. I meant . . . someday."

"But I thought that you . . . uh . . ."

"Yeah, Ah know." She rested her head on his shoulder.

Back in the delivery room, Logan stroked Raven's hair. "Easy, darlin'. You're doing fine. Won't be long now."  
"IT BETTER NOT BE!" she shrieked, as another contraction hit. They were less than five minutes apart now.

Those twins were in a hurry to get out.

"Won't be long now," the doctor said. "Nearly halfway there already."

Jean and Xavier were trying to calm Mystique down telepathically, but her pain-fogged mind was having trouble processing the signals.

The good news was . . . the worst of the pain was starting to subside. At least for the moment.

Out in the hallway, Kurt swung restlessly from the ceiling. He wanted to go in and help, but they wouldn't let him.

It drove him nuts.

"I vish zhey'd come out and tell us somezhing!"

"Easy, Kurt," Rogue said. "They will."

Rogue was about to say something else, and then Logan came out.

Mystique was right behind him, sitting in a wheelchair holding two little blanket-wrapped bundles.  
"Meet your new baby brothers," she said. "We haven't decided what to call them yet . . ."

Everybody gathered around the new babies.

"How about John?" Kurt suggested, after his favorite Beatle.

"We need two names, Einstein." Lance chided him. "They're twins."

"Paul?"  
"Nah," Rogue said.

"Ringo?"  
Scott rolled his eyes. "Get real."

"We'll think of something." Logan said.

As if on cue, inspiration struck Kitty at that moment. "How about Jared?"

"Jared?" Kurt looked down at the other baby . . . "Sounds good to me."

The babies yawned and blinked, and everything was perfect.

(All together . . . awwwwwwwwwwwww! We're not done yet! More to come, hopefully soon!)


	19. Family History Part 1

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

(Here we get some of the history of how this family came together. In this reality, "Turn of the Rogue" never happened. And you'll see what happens to "Shadowed Past".)

( ***** = flashback.)

The next day, the announcement was made in school. A few kids were tempted to make bad jokes. Most didn't even know she was married. But everybody signed the card for her in the office.

The only one who wasn't happy was Acting Principal Kelly, who had grown too attached to his job to lose it now.

Even Pietro had grown fond of the new arrivals, to the point where he made them cute outfits for every day of the week.  
Wanda was staying at a friend's house, but she came to visit every day. And she usually did so carrying enough toys to sink a battleship.

"How come they're not blue?" she asked.

"Long story," Mystique said. "Would you like to hold one of them?"

"OK . . ."

The babies wore little bead bracelets with their names on them, a gift from Kurt. Wanda  looked down at the one Mystique had just placed in her arms. JARED, in alternating blue and green beads, was around the baby's tiny wrist.

"You must be so happy to have a family," Wanda said sadly. She couldn't picture herself ever having kids. And her relationship with her father was not so great . . . so this would probably be the only chance she got to be with a real family.  
Mystique sighed. "It wasn't always like this," she said. 

"Hey, Mama," Rogue said. "Hi, Wanda."

"I was just about to tell Wanda," Mystique said, "how we became a family."

"Oh. That. It's kinda a long story . . ."

"I'd like to hear it," Wanda said.

"A long time ago . . ." Mystique began.

"How far back are ya goin'?" Rogue asked.

"Years."

"Nah, let's start where it began for us. When Ah started havin' those dreams."

"All right." So Mystique began to relate the story of Rogue's nightmares.

"It all started when I was working with Magnus."

"My father?" Wanda asked.

"Yes. That's what I've always called him. "One day he noticed that Rogue was having trouble sleeping, so he came to me and "asked me to find out what the trouble was."  
"And Ah couldn't tell you."

"No, you couldn't. You didn't know why you were having these dreams. At this time, you didn't fully understand your own power." 

Rogue shuddered at the memory. "They were awful. The wolves . . . the woman, running . . . and that poor baby . . . Ah couldn't see him at first . . ."  
"Baby?" Wanda asked.  
"The woman was carrying him in her arms. Then the wolves attacked her . . . and she dropped him, into the water."  
"How long did you have these dreams?"  
"Every night for about two months, ever since I came here. Ah didn't figure it out till Kurt and Ah were assigned to do a family tree together . . ."

*******************

"Family tree?" Kitty said to Kurt.

"Ja, Miss Romney said ve have to make vun up."  
"But why you and Rogue? She hates you! She hates **everybody!"**

"How should I know?" Kurt shrugged. "Maybe she thought ve could help each uzzer . . ."

Kitty had her doubts. "That's just so stupid! I mean, like, how are you supposed to work with her?"

On the other side of the room, Rogue sulked. Just her luck to get stuck doing a stupid project with Blue Boy. Why couldn't the teacher have picked somebody else for her to work with instead?

Anyone.  
Even Toad--well, maybe not Toad. But at least they lived in the same house.

But no, they had to make her work with Kurt Wagner. What a freak he was . . .

 _What a freak she is, Kurt thought, looking over at Rogue.  
  
After class, Kurt was at his locker when someone came up to him._

"Excuse me . . ." It was Rogue.  
"Vas?"

"You Kurt Wagner?"

"Of course I am! Ve . . . met."  
"Well, excuse **me, but we didn't have what you'd call a proper introduction!"**

Kurt flinched. "I **tried being nice!"**

Now it was Rogue's turn to flinch.

"Okay, maybe Ah deserved that . . . so, when do you wanna get started?"

"Um . . . I hadn't thought of zhat. After school?"  
"Sure, I guess so. Where do ya wanna meet?"  
"I don't know."  
"The library? The big one, in town?"  
"Sounds good."  
"Fine. Ah'll meet you here at three, and we'll walk over."  
"Okay."  
It wasn't until much later that either of them realized just what they were getting into . . .

Two weeks into the project, Rogue's nightmares became much clearer. She started seeing the faces of the woman and the baby.  
The woman was--no doubt about it--Mystique.  
And the baby? Well, blue, fuzzy, and with three fingers . . . it could only be one person.


	20. Family History Part 2

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

(Still in flashback mode.)

Rogue didn't waste any time. She went straight to Mystique's room, even though it was the middle of the night.

"What is it?" Mystique groaned. "It's 1AM, for God's sake."

"Where's the baby?" she demanded.  
"What baby?"  
"The one you dropped off the bridge!"  
Mystique was shocked. She didn't know how Rogue knew about that dark time in her life, but . . . there was no backing out of this now.

"You know who he is, don't you?"

Mystique sighed. "Sit down, Rogue."

This explanation wasn't going to be easy--for either of them--but it was time the truth came out.  
"Sixteen years ago," she began, "I met someone . . ."

"You mean . . . ?" Rogue started to ask.

"Yes. We were very much in love. But before we could get married, he got killed in a car crash. I was three months pregnant at the time."

"Oh mah God." Rogue gasped.

"I didn't know what else to do, so . . ."

"So you put the kid up for adoption?"

"Not exactly. I met up with someone I'd known years ago, who offered me a job. When I told him about the baby, he said that wasn't a problem. If I'd only known what he was planning . . ."

Rogue sighed. "Ah get the picture."

"A month or so later, I found out I was having twins."  
"Twins?"

"Yes. I was doubly worried after that . . ."

"So you have **two children?"  
"Yes," Mystique said, and it wasn't exactly a lie. She had two others that were dead and one that wasn't speaking to her, but he didn't count, did he?**

Rogue didn't know how to react to this. "So what happened to them? The baby that fell off the bridge?"  
"I followed him and made sure he was all right. Then I left Europe for good."  
"What about the other baby?"  
"The other baby . . . Irene had warned me that something would happen if I went with Magnus--"  
"Wait a minute. Irene? As in, the lady who raised me?"  
"Yes."  
"Are you tellin' me that--"  
"Yes," Mystique said. "You are my daughter, and Kurt Wagner is your twin brother."

Rogue was shocked. "You mean . . . you're my mother?"

Mystique nodded.

"But where have you been all this time? Why did you leave me with Irene? Why--"

"There was nothing else I could do . . ."

"Why?"  
"It's . . . too complicated to explain. What I did for a living then . . . I couldn't have brought a child along."  
"Why couldn't you have done somethin' else?"

********

Rogue looked at her mother and said, "God, Ah can't imagine how hard it had to be for you to admit all that stuff . . ."

"The hardest part," Mystique said, "was still yet to come. I still hadn't told Kurt the truth. I didn't know how."  
"So Ah kinda took matters into mah own hands," said Rogue.

*******  
  


Before Mystique, Rogue had sprung to her feet. "Ah gotta tell him."  
"No! Wait!"

But Rogue was already out the door . . .

She'd just have to go after her herself. Even if it was the middle of the night.

Kurt, meanwhile, was in the middle of a late-night raid on the fridge when Rogue showed up.

"Vhat are you doing here?"  
"Ah gotta talk to you."  
"But you set off all zhe alarm systems!"

"This is important!" Rogue insisted.

"If it's that important," said a voice from the doorway, "we should all be here."

Kurt and Rogue both turned . . . and saw Scott in the doorway.

"What are you doin' up?"

"Never mind that. What's so important that you came all the way over here in the middle of the night?"

Rogue took a deep breath. "Ah gotta talk to Kurt alone. It doesn't concern anyone but him and me."  
"Wrong."

"Scott," Kurt started to say, but Rogue cut him off.

"Ya might as well know. Kurt is mah brother."  
Both boys stared at her like she'd grown a second head.

"You're kidding."

"Mystique told me everything."  
"And you trust her?"

"I know what you're saying, but still--"

"But nothing," Scott said. "She could have made the whole thing up."  
"Why would she do that?"

"_Ja," Kurt said, "Mystique may be a lot of things . . . but she told me zhe truth vhen I met vith her at zhe construction site. Maybe . . . maybe she vants to make it up to us."  
"Ah don't know . . ."_

"It's worth a try, _ja?"_

"So what are ya sayin'?"

"Vell . . ." And he told her his idea.

"Ah think that might work . . ."

(More to come!)


	21. Family History Part 3 and Pietro's Shock...

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

The next day at school, Rogue and Kurt went to Ms. Darkholme . . . but didn't know they were being followed.

By Scott, to be more precise.

He wasn't **spying on them. No way. He was just . . . making sure nothing happened to them.**

The revelation last night that their not-so-beloved principal was also their enemy was, to say the least, a shock. No wonder this school had always felt like hostile territory.

He'd have to tell the others, but first . . . he had to see what Kurt and Rogue were up to.

"What're you doing?"  
Scott nearly jumped. "Nothing," he said to the person who had snuck up behind him while he was sneaking up on Kurt and Rogue.  
"You're following them, aren't you?"  
"Well . . . only for their own protection."  
"You're spying on them!" Kitty gave Scott the dirtiest of dirty looks.

"I am not spying!" he said. "I'm . . . looking out for them."

In the meantime, however, Rogue and Kurt had disappeared inside the office.

Ms. Darkholme was busy . . . but as soon as she saw them, she knew what this was all about.  
She pushed her papers aside and said, "Close the door."  
  
********  
  
"I think he's hungry," Wanda said. Jared had begun to chew on her finger . . .

so after a few discreet glances.... Mystique fed him.  
When John saw what was going on, he demanded to be fed as well, so she fed them both at the same time.

She didn't realize, however, that she'd forgotten to close the door all the way...so Pietro came right in without knocking.  
"Hey, Mystique, we need some--OH MY GOD!" He stared in shock at her bared--uh, flesh. "Put your shirt back on, Mystique!"

She glared at him. "I am feeding my children, if you don't mind."  
"Yeah, I **do mind! I don't want to see your naked . . . ewwwww!"**

Mystique wanted to hit him... but she couldn't with two babies attached to her.  
So Wanda hit him for her.  
"Ow! Wanda! What was that for?"  
Wanda glared at him. "You know what that was for! It's not like she's parading around topless or something! There's a baby's head in the way!"  
"A very small baby's head," Pietro said. "In the way of very big--"  
"OUT!" Mystique shouted.

Wanda dragged him out by the collar.

She came back a little while later to hear the rest of the story.

As the twins dozed off, Mystique picked up where she had left off.

  
*******  
  


"I know why you're here," Raven Darkholme said to the boy and girl on the other side of her desk. "So you know the truth now."  
"Some of it," Kurt said.

"Then let me fill you in on the rest. You don't want to hear what I did in the years between the last time I saw you and now, but I never forgot you."

Rogue tried to answer her. "You never came to see me. You knew where Ah was, but . . ."  
"I did visit once. When you were about five."

"Huh?"

"You must remember. I took you to the petting zoo, and then we--"

"Petting zoo?" This was news to Rogue.

"You don't remember?"  
"No, Ah don't. It's lahke you were never there."  
Raven eyed her daughter with concern. Had someone done something to her memory? Or had she simply forgotten....

"We can't change the past . . . but we can start now with what we have."

Rogue and Kurt gazed at their mother.

"How do ve do zhat?"

Raven pondered this for what seemed like an eternity. "We'll find a way."  
  
********  
"DAAAAAAD!"  
Magneto looked up from his paper in irritation. "What is it now, Pietro?"

"Wanda hit me!"  
"Well, Pietro was making faces at me!"

Magneto sighed and got up. It was good to have his children back together, but . . .  
"Will you **stop acting like five-year-olds?"  
"She started it!"  
"I did ****not! He called Mystique a--"  
"Well, she shouldn't have been naked!"  
"She was ****not naked! She was feeding the babies!"  
"Yeah, well I still saw her--"**

_Xavier never has to deal with this nonsense, Magneto thought enviously. "Go to your room," he said. "Both of you. I'm not listening to this nonsense."_

"Hey!"  
"C'mon, Dad . . ."

"I said go!"  
They went. 

Not quietly, of course; that would have been too much to hope for.

"Why'd you have to come back?"  
"Why do you have to be such a jerk?"

Eventually Wanda came back and asked Mystique to finish her story.  
"Not much more to tell, really."

"I still want to hear it."

"Well, Scott told Charles about our meeting. He seemed to think that it was a good idea that Kurt get to know me. He sees it as building a bridge, or something. Anyway, that night I needed company, so I went out to this bar . . . well, you know the rest."

After that, there was nothing more to be said.


	22. Taking You Home

**Mommy Mystique (cont.)**

(Notes to Wolfgangh:

The puppets were a joke. Really. This **is listed under "Humor", after all. ** When did I ever say Wanda was in the institution? There's no mention of it. In this AU, she went somewhere else. **Somebody (can't imagine who) gave her a call and clued her in to what was going on. ** Disturbing? Maybe the breastfeeding scene. Don't worry, there won't be any more of those. 

One other note: the song lyrics at the end are from _Taking You Home by Don Henley—hence the title of the chapter.)_

Oblivious to everything around them, Jared and John were asleep.

Jared clutched a stuffed bear, a gift from Auntie Wanda. John had a dog that Daddy had brought over.

The proud parents, meanwhile, were sitting in the TV room.  
"Y'know," Logan said, "we never did have a honeymoon."

"We haven't exactly had a lot of time for it," Mystique observed. "If you'll recall, I spent our wedding night giving birth."  
"Yeah, and I'm glad the six weeks are up so we can have sex again."  
She swatted him on the shoulder.  
"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being a lech."

"What, I can't have a little fun with my wife?"

Before she could answer, Jared woke up and started crying.  
"Great." 

"I'll take care of it." Logan picked Jared up. Fortunately, he wasn't hungry; his binky had fallen out of his mouth. Logan picked it up off the floor, wiped it on his shirt, and put it back in the baby's mouth.

Jared went right back to sleep . . . but John woke up.  
That was the thing about twins.

Eventually, he got them both back to sleep . . . but he had plenty of time to think.

The next morning, Logan had an idea.

"Listen, I was thinking . . ." he said to Mystique.

"Uh oh," she said, jokingly.

"C'mon, just hear me out."

"Okay," she said, glancing over at the crib where the twins were still asleep.

So he told her. "We need a place of our own."

"What about this place?"

CRASH! "I didn't do it!" Toad cried out.

Mystique sighed. "Point taken. Well, houses just don't grow on trees. It's a lot of work to find one."

"You let me do the work," Logan said.

THUMP! BANG! "Ow! Mystique! Help!"

She looked at Logan. "You're part of the family now."

"But—"

"Go on. The twins will be up any minute and I'll have to feed them."

"Well, since you put it that way . . ."

SMASH! 

Logan winced. "Ooh, that sounded like glass."

Mystique's eyes went wide. "Not my Austrian crystal goblets?"

"Only one way to find out." Logan got up and went downstairs to whup the butt of whoever was responsible for ruining his morning.

 A few weeks later, Logan drove them out into the country.

He pulled into the driveway of a three-story Colonial and told Mystique, "Here we are."  
"What?"  
"This is home from now on."

Mystique was shocked. Where had Logan gotten the money to afford it?

"Don't worry," he said. "It's a late wedding gift from Chuck. C'mon, I want you to see this."

She followed him inside.

The main room had a fireplace and a huge bay window, and upstairs, there were four bedrooms.  
"I figure we'll take the biggest," Logan told her. "The twins can be in the one next door. Kurt and Rogue can decide which ones they want when they get here."  
"They're living here?"  
"Well, they'll come home on weekends and holidays for now, but I'm looking to make it a permanent arrangement."  
Mystique shook her head. "This all seems too perfect. Things like this never happen in real life."  
Logan smiled. "If there's one thing I've learned," he said, "it's that things don't just happen. We have to make them happen."

Sure enough, as if on cue, Rogue and Kurt showed up in a rented truck that contained most of their belongings.

"Ah hope ah'm not too late for the housewarming party." Rogue said, carrying a box marked "TAPES".

"I haven't decided if I like it yet," Mystique said. She put the two baby carriers down and took the twins out, then laid them on a blanket in the main room.

But that wasn't entirely true. She just didn't trust how perfect things were. The last time things had been so perfect for her was . . . she shook her head and put those disturbing thoughts out of her mind.

Logan said, "I'll take you kids upstairs so you can pick a room and then we'll talk about decoratin'."

Before long, Jean, Scott, and Ororo showed up from the Institute with housewares galore, and Lance and Toad delivered enough toys to stock Neiman Marcus . . .

And still Mystique couldn't shake the feeling that things were too perfect . . .  
And then Magneto showed up.

He had something behind his back. Everybody braced themselves for trouble, but instead he gave them his and hers coffee cups.

"I really hate to see you go," he said. "You've been part of the Brotherhood so long . . ."

"I know, but my place is here now."

As if to confirm this, the babies reached up for her. She picked them up and held one on each shoulder. "So who's taking over the Brotherhood?"

"I am."

She looked surprised.

"Well, someone has to. We can't leave those children on their own, can we?"

There was a crash from the kitchen.

"Definitely not."

In another part of the house, Logan was telling Xavier, "Yeah, I think she really likes it."

"And how about Kurt and Rogue?" asked Xavier.

"They didn't even fight over the bedrooms. This is going better than I thought."

"It's going to be odd not having you stay at the Institute," Xavier observed, "but . . ."

"Yeah, for me too. Hope you don't mind me commuting."

Just then Logan was interrupted by a crash from the kitchen.  
Fred had accidentally knocked over the refrigerator.

"It's okay!" he called. "There wasn't any food in it yet!"

It was a hectic day, but when it was over, everyone was glad to be home.  
Logan looked at his wife. "Once we get settled," he said, "and we find someone to watch the kids, how about we take that honeymoon we were talking about?"

"I can't think of anything better," Mystique said.

                                                _I had a good life_

_                                                Before you came_

_                                                I had my friends and my freedom_

_                                                I had my name_

_                                                Still there was sorrow and emptiness_

_                                                Til you made me glad_

_                                                Oh, in this love I found strength_

_                                                I never knew I had_

_                                                And this love_

_                                                Is like nothing I have ever known_

_                                                Take my hand, love_

_                                                I'm taking you home_

_                                                I'm taking you home_

_                                                There were days, lonely days_

_                                                When the world wouldn't throw me a crumb_

_                                                But I kept on believing_

_                                                That this day would come_

_                                                And this love_

_                                                Is like nothing I have ever known_

_                                                Take my hand, love_

_                                                I'm taking you home_

_                                                I'm taking you—home,_

_                                                Where we can be with the ones_

_                                                Who really care_

_                                                Home, where we can grow together_

_                                                Keep you in my heart forever_

_                                                And this love _

_                                                Is like nothing I have ever known_

_                                                Take my hand, love_

_                                                I'm taking you home_

_                                                Taking you home._

**THE END**

(Awww, wasn't that nice? If you want to see a sequel, just let me know!)


End file.
